


The Test of Time

by siophiefandom



Series: Time Trilogy [2]
Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F, paily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 20:07:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 107,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7402051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siophiefandom/pseuds/siophiefandom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Time Will Tell," a time-jump to their senior year. Does their love have what it takes to stand the test of time? I think we both know the answer to that question. Some parts will make more sense if you've read "Time Will Tell," but don't feel obligated. AU Paily fluff, with a smattering of drama</p><p>Originally published on fanfiction dot net, February 20 - March 30, 2015</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blindsided

Emily couldn't stop crying. Paige was holding her and saying all of the right things, but Emily could feel the anger in her embrace. She didn't know what she could say. She knew that, when Paige was emotionally overwhelmed like this, she needed physical contact to calm her down, but for as long as they had been holding each other, the anger was still there. Emily was sorry. She had never felt so helpless and sorry.

It had happened before she knew what was going on. She didn't have time to react.

_They were at the end of the season party with the rest of the team, and alcohol was flowing freely. Paige had stepped out for the ladies' room, and, out of nowhere, Cara Dauber, one of the divers, came up on Emily and started kissing her. And, of course, before Emily had the chance to shove her off, Paige came around the corner and saw it all._

But it wasn't her fault. And she would have told Paige about it, of course, but she didn't have the chance.

_Paige was livid. She jerked Emily out of the way and started verbally tearing into Cara. Everyone on the team had seen Paige's game face, and it could be intimidating, but no one was prepared for the ferocity with which Paige was yelling at Cara. It was feral; animalistic. Cara was cornered, almost crouching in fear. Emily was afraid for Cara's safety. She was afraid that Paige was going to do something that would end up on her permanent criminal record. She grabbed Paige desperately by the arm and pulled her, still screaming out threats, from the room. Paige never dropped eye contact with Cara until she was physically out of the scene._

_They waited in silence for the Drunk Bus. Once on board, Paige held Emily's hand, but she never looked at her, focusing her stare out of the window instead._

Emily pulled back from Paige so that she could see her eyes. "Paige, please, tell me how to fix this," she begged.

"You didn't do anything, Emily. I'm not mad at you."

"You _are_ mad, Paige. You won't admit it to yourself, but I can see it. I can _feel_ it."

Paige tried her best to calm herself down. She knew that she was hurting Emily, and that thought hurt her deeply. "Emily, I swear that I'm not mad at you. I love you, and I trust you. I know that you'd never do anything like that to us. I'm mad at Cara. I'll fucking kill Cara." She said it calmly, with an even tone, as though it were a statement of fact, not an idle threat that was made in anger.

"Paige," Emily said, grabbing both of her girlfriend's hands, "you're scaring me."

Paige took a deep breath, let go of Emily's hands, and walked slowly to the bedroom. Emily stood in place, trying to figure out what to do next. She heard a drawer open and close with a slam. _Only one drawer_ , she thought. _She's not gathering clothes to leave. Maybe she's just going to lie down and sleep it off._

When Paige came back, Emily noticed that her right hand was balled into a tight fist. She walked over to Emily, rather than toward the door, to Emily's relief. The relief didn't last long.

"Look, Emily. This isn't the way that I wanted to do this, but maybe this is the right time."

_Oh, God! She's breaking up with me! Over Cara? Or is that just the excuse? How long has she felt like this?_ Emily sank down onto the couch in defeat and disbelief. Paige knelt down to be on the same level. _She can't even sit with me?_

Emily was drifting in and out of Paige's words. "You know that I love you… I'll never be able to repay you for everything that you brought to my life…" Emily couldn't stand the torture. She wished that Paige would just get it over with. She was shaking her head back and forth in denial and bawling furiously. She couldn't even work out the word "No!" or "Please!"

Paige paused. Emily looked up, hopeful for a second. "You're not making this easy, Emily," she said with a half smile, and the torrent of tears started again. _She wants this to be easy? After four years of being together?_

Paige's assault of words started again. "both known this was coming for some time…" But Emily hadn't known. For the second time tonight, she felt blindsided. Things were happening around her – to her – to _them_ – that she had never seen coming and that she had no way to stop.

"… build a life with you… can't imagine my life without you…" _What the fuck, is she proposing to me?_ "Make me the happiest woman on the planet… Will you marry me, Emily Fields?" Paige unballed her fist to reveal a diamond ring.

Emily couldn't speak. She began peppering Paige's face with kisses. She was still crying, and Paige held her, to try to get her calmed down.

"Emily… Emily – " Emily looked at her and smiled. "I can't put this on your finger unless you say 'Yes!'"

"YES!" Emily practically yelled, and she hugged her fiancée for a long time. As she let go, still fighting back the tears, she confessed to Paige. "I thought that you were breaking up with me."

Paige was flabbergasted. "What?" Paige pulled her back in for a hug. "Over this? Emily…"

"I know," Emily cut her off. "It sounds so stupid, now. I just… You were so angry, Paige."

Paige hung her head. "I'm _sorry_ , Em." Emily lifted up her head and kissed her. "But I would never leave you, Emily. Whatever happens, we would work it out."

"I know, Paige. I don't doubt us. I was just scared. People don't think straight when they're scared."

A lightbulb went on in Paige's head. "I guess that's why I lost it with Cara. I guess I got scared." Emily cupped Paige's cheek and gave her another kiss of reassurance. "But, Emily," Paige continued, picking up Emily's hand and holding up her ring finger, "I need you to know that this isn't about me being afraid of losing you. I didn't give you the ring tonight to put my mark on you. When my Dad gave me the ring, he told me that I would know when it was the right time. Tonight, it just felt right. It was my way of saying that I know that we're permanent, and that I know that nothing is going to interfere with that – with us."

Emily was overwhelmed. She pulled Paige in tight and lovingly kissed her neck.

"So, wait, you and Nick talked about proposing? I wish I could've been there for that conversation!" Paige chuckled. Some of the tension in the room eased. "And just how long have you and Nick been keeping this secret from me?" Emily was trying her best to pretend to be offended, but she couldn't hide the grin that was on her face.

"Emily, I _hated_ keeping this a secret from you." Paige knew that Emily was joking, but she really didn't like keeping secrets from her.

_The summer visits with Nick McCullers became a regular thing for Paige and Emily after their freshman year. The summer after their sophomore year, he asked Paige to stay behind with him for an extra week before she joined Emily in Rosewood. He had taken the week off from work to spend with her, camping, fishing, biking – reconnecting. She was delighted to have her father back like this. Everything was carefree and light, until Wednesday night, at dinner._

" _You and Emily are serious, aren't you?"_

_Paige smiled, unsuspecting. "Yeah, Dad. We really are."_

_He grabbed her hand. "I'm really very happy for you. I can tell that you're good for each other. – And I don't just mean your swimming!" They shared a laugh. Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a box, opening it to show Paige the ring. "This is the ring that your grandfather gave to my mother. She gave it to me when I was ready to propose to your mom. Your mom left it when she went away." There was nothing in his tone – no anger, remorse, sadness. "I want you to have it for when you're ready." Paige smiled. He gave her a pointed look. "And you're not ready," he said seriously._

" _Thanks, Daddy. This means so much to me. And we know that we're not ready."_

" _And when you're ready, you'll know."_

Why does everybody keep telling us that? _Paige thought._

" _There's a reason that I wanted you to have this now, though." Paige braced herself. She knew her father's serious look. "Paige, it's taken us a good deal of time to get back to where we are now. Relationships can't be repaired overnight. So, you need to think about whether or not you want your mother there when you and Emily say, 'I do,' because, if you do, you need to start building that bridge soon. You don't have to give me an answer until you've thought it over. I just want you to know that, if you want me to reach out to your mother for you, I will."_

" _Dad, I couldn't ask you to do that."_

" _You don't have to ask, Paige. I want what's best for you. And, I have to believe that your mom does, too."_

_That statement was more than Paige could bear. "I can't talk about this, Daddy. Please, can we just keep enjoying this week?"_

" _Of course we can, P. But promise me that you'll think about it, okay? – Not for my sake; not for your mom's sake. For your sake."_

* * *

Paige shared almost everything about that weekend with Emily. She didn't mention the ring, wanting that to be a surprise. They spent almost the entire drive to Rosewood talking about her mother.

" _Is it bad that I don't want her there?"_

_Emily reached out with her right hand and cupped Paige's face. "It's not wrong if it's what your heart feels."_

_Paige took Emily's hand in both of hers and pulled it into her lap. "It's not just about me. I just think that it would be an insult to my Dad to have her there, as though she'd been there for me just as much as he had."_

" _Paige, your dad was right. You have to think about what state of mind you'll be in when we get married. Are you going to want to do that without your mother there?"_

_Paige paused for a moment, although she really didn't have to give it much thought. "Yes," she said simply. Emily looked over and smiled slightly, nodding her head. "And, I mean, even if I change my mind, I won't look back and regret making this decision today. I won't regret the way that I feel about her today."_

_Emily patted Paige's thigh before she returned her hand to the steering wheel. She smiled to herself. "Is it weird the way that we talk about getting married? – The way that_ everyone _talks about us getting married?"_

" _Not weird at all," Paige asserted. "We're soulmates, remember?"_

* * *

"It was a good secret, Paige. It was a nice surprise. And the ring is beautiful," Emily said, settling back into Paige's body.

They were silent for a while before Emily spoke again. "Paige, promise me something."

Paige tensed slightly. "What?" she asked apprehensively.

"Promise me…" Emily struggled at what she was about to ask of Paige. "… that you'll let this thing with Cara go." Feeling Paige bristle behind her, she turned around to face her. "Paige, I was really frightened tonight. I'm still afraid of what might happen. _Please_ , Paige? Promise me?" She was trying not to allow the tears to start again. And as if on cue, Paige's phone buzzed. Emily saw Paige's reaction and knew who had texted her. "Paige. Please. Give me your phone."

Paige shook her head.

"Paige. I love you. Please trust me."

Paige handed over her phone.

Cara had texted an apology, playing the "I was drunk" card.

Emily picked up her own phone and texted Cara. **I've managed to get Paige calmed down, barely. Please take my advice and keep your distance. From both of us.**

* * *

It was a restless night for Paige. With some perspective, she could see herself for who she had been at the party, and it scared her. She wasn't afraid of what she might have done to Cara. She was afraid of how Emily had seen her. She had exposed a side of herself that she didn't know existed. It scared her to think that she could so easily become that desperate, territorial, psycho girlfriend.

"Em," she whispered, to wake her, but Emily was already awake, sensitive to Paige's emotional state because of the way that it showed in Paige's restlessness as she lay next to Emily. Emily stroked the arm that Paige had wrapped around her waist but gave no spoken reply. "Emily, are you awake?" Paige pressed.

"I'm awake," Emily responded, not sounding at all as if she had been asleep.

"I'm _sorry._ " Emily heard the tears in Paige's plea and turned around, looking questioningly into Paige's eyes in the dim light of their bedroom. "I let myself get out of control. I'm sorry. It was – _I_ was wrong."

Emily cupped Paige's cheek and nodded slowly in understanding. She leaned in and gave Paige a soulful kiss before she turned around again in her arms. "Emily!" Paige sounded desperate. "Do you forgive me?"

Emily turned around again. She didn't think that she was the one to whom Paige needed to apologize, but that wasn't what mattered right now. "Oh, Paige, of course I do." She gazed intently into Paige's eyes, gently stroking her forearm.

"I love you so much, Emily."

"I know that you do, Paige. I love you."

"I just need for you to know. I lost control because I thought that I had to protect you. It wasn't because I was trying to possess you."

"I know that, Paige."

"I mean, I know that you would never cheat on me. I'm not saying that you would. I just want you to know that, if that kiss had been about your feelings for Cara, I would've been pissed, but I wouldn't have lost control. And I know that I shouldn't have lost control no matter what, but I don't want you to be afraid of me, Emily. I don't want you to think that I'm some crazy bitch who's going to snap if you hurt me."

"Oh, Babe, is that what you're worried about? Paige!" Emily kissed her slowly. "I know you better than that! I trust you with my life. You know that, don't you?"

Paige nodded her head slowly, sniffling back the sobs that were threatening to break free. Emily pushed her onto her back and lay on top of her, running her hands up and down the length of Paige's arms. She knew that Paige needed reassurance, and that, for Paige, a touch – just being in physical contact – did more than words ever could.

"Hey," Paige whispered, once she had finally calmed her body down. Emily rolled off of her and snuggled into her side. "How did this go from me comforting you to you comforting me?"

Emily shrugged. "I guess that's why we're a couple. When I'm down, you pick me up, and when you're down, I pick you up."

Paige smiled. "I love that. I love us. I love you."

Emily smiled contentedly. "I do, too."

* * *

Sunday morning, Paige and Cara received e-mail that Coach Meehan wanted to meet with them and the diving coach. The season was over, and Paige was graduating that year, but they were still representatives of Stanford swimming, and there were still team functions that they were both expected to take part in.

"I'm going to be with you," Emily asserted.

"Em, you can't. Besides, it would be like ganging up on Cara." Emily was surprised that Paige was able to consider Cara's point of view. She took that as a good sign.

"I know that I can't be there _physically_ ," Emily replied, "but I want you to remember that I'm there with you." She took off the cupid's heart necklace that Paige had given her for her birthday in freshman year. "Here. Wear this, and remember that I'm with you."

Paige put the chain around her neck and wrapped her arms around Emily.

* * *

The meeting was tense. Paige kept her eyes unflinchingly on Coach Meehan throughout. She held the cupid's heart between her thumb and middle finger, idly running it up and down the chain. Coach Meehan went on about the Cardinal way, the example that they were responsible to set for their teammates, the fact that, even after they graduate, they're still ambassadors for the team, and that he should have heard about this from them, not their teammates.

There would be repercussions. Their scholarships were safe. This would have implications on the selection processes for end of season awards. Then, he got to the point. "Have you two worked things out?"

"Yes!" Cara said, eagerly.

"No," Paige replied calmly, her eyes unwaveringly on her coach as her fingers formed a fist around the heart. He nodded in understanding.

"Are you two going to be okay sharing the stage or volunteering together with the rest of the team?" the diving coach asked.

Cara didn't dare venture a reply after the way that Paige had contradicted her last time.

Without hesitation, Paige replied with an emotionless, "Yes."

Coach Meehan reminded them that there was counseling available through Health Services and advised them not to throw away the friendship and camaraderie that they had built up over the years. He congratulated them on their season, and they were dismissed.


	2. Tell the World

Paige and Emily disagreed about whether or not to tell people that they were engaged. Emily wanted to wear her ring, and she knew that word would trickle out once it was spotted. She didn't want her parents or her friends to find out on facebook rather than from her and Paige.

Paige knew that, once people found out that they had gotten engaged in the middle of the year, they would want to know why. She didn't think that everyone needed to hear the Cara story. Even worse, she knew that people would assume that she proposed out of jealousy or because she was afraid that Cara or some other girl would steal Emily away from her.

"Just tell them that we had a fight, and when we made up, you were so moved that you gave me the ring."

"Oh, please! Who's going to believe that? We _never_ fight!"

"We're fighting now, Paige!"

Paige's face lit up and she smiled widely. "We're fighting?"

Emily was puzzled for a second before she picked up on Paige's excitement. "Ugh, no, Paige," she said, rolling her eyes. "We're _not_ going to have make-up sex!" she said with finality. "Geez, why are you so obsessed with that?" Paige's smile turned instantly into a pout, and she flashed Emily some puppy-dog eyes. "Fine – we can have _regular_ sex once we finish working this out, okay?"

In the end, Paige conceded that there was no way that they could avoid telling people. She would tell them the truth: It was no secret that they were going to get married eventually, of course they planned to finish school first, but she had become overwhelmed with emotion at the end of the swim season, and she couldn't keep her grandmother's ring under wraps any longer.

* * *

It only seemed fitting to tell their parents first, starting with Emily's. Emily was so giddy on Skype that Pam and Wayne knew that something had to be up. They knew that the swim season had just ended, and Wayne assumed that it had something to do with that - swimming honors or a contract offer. He never would have guessed that the girls would get engaged in the middle of the school year. Pam had been sitting with a piece of paper in her lap, stifling a smile. After Paige and Emily made their announcement, she held up the paper - a poster that she printed off the computer: "CONGRATULATIONS LOVEBIRDS," with clip art of two birds holding a wedding banner between them. "How?" Emily laughed.

"Oh, Emmy! You know that you can't keep any secrets from me!"

They had decided to tell their parents and friends the whole story, although Emily was worried about how her father, in particular, would react. He was more concerned about the drinking, and spoke to them in no uncertain terms about what he had seen of the effects of alcohol-fueled indiscretions on relationships, careers, and lives. He had no worries about Emily's safety - "not with your girlfr - your _fiancée_ \- there to watch over you!"

* * *

Next up was Nick McCullers. "Maybe we should just wait till the next time we get together and let him figure it out when he sees the ring," Emily joked.

"Yeah, remember those days?" Paige laughed, "It seems like ages ago."

Paige and her dad had made great strides over the past four years that they'd been making an effort. The two weeks of Daddy-Daughter Days became a fixture of their summers, and Paige and Emily made sure to spend some time with him and Pru over Christmas as well. Paige felt that she had her father fully back. At times, it made her wonder what it would be like to get her mother back, as well, but she never lingered on those thoughts. Her mother had left them. Even if she did want to reconcile with Paige, it was far too late for her to fix things with Nick, and having a relationship with her mom without her dad's involvement seemed something of a betrayal.

Nick McCullers was in full meeting-mode. When Paige told him that they needed to have a Skype session, he immediately went on the defensive. He sat in silence throughout their announcement and for several seconds after. Emily leaned forward as if to say something, but Paige squeezed her hand, silently advising her not to. When he finally spoke, his only comment was, "Well, how much is this going to cost me?" It felt a lot like the old Nick.

Paige and Emily stared at each other and then back at the screen. They had anticipated several reactions, but not this one. Before Paige could stumble out a reply, her dad burst into laughter. "I had a pretty good idea that this was about the ring. It's a little too early for you to find out that you had made the national team. I'm just glad to hear that you two aren't planning to tie the knot before graduation. And, of course, you can count on me for whatever you need. Have you thought about where you want to get married?"

They had discussed it. They'd made several good friends in Stanford and had considered staying in the area after they graduated. Then there was Texas, where Emily's mom had moved to be with her husband. But Rosewood made the most sense. Nick agreed. "At some point, Paige, we need to talk about your mother." Paige nodded. Emily squeezed her hand to let her know that she was there for her. "But not today. Not for a while. Enjoy this moment. Thanks for sharing this great news with me. You don't know how proud this makes me."

"So, do I call him Dad now? Papa Nick?" Emily asked coyly after they ended the session, and Paige almost choked in laughter.

* * *

Next up were the girls. They were due to see the Rosewood crew for Spring Break, but that was a few weeks away. This news couldn't wait.

Pru was cranky at the start of the call. She was tired and not fit for human consumption. She agreed to Skype because Paige assured her that it was something important. As she got wind of where the conversation was headed, her eyes widened and her mouth flew open. When she finally squealed out a series of "Oh my Gods" in response, her voice was a couple of octaves higher than it usually was.

She wanted every detail.

As Emily recounted the incident with Cara, Pru's face scrunched up in confusion. "Paige?" she interrupted, "It's not like you to get crazy jealous like that..."

Emily was a little relieved to hear that from Paige's oldest friend. Even though Emily had never seen that side of Paige, it was good to have confirmation from Pru that Paige didn't have a history of it. "It wasn't jealousy," Emily spat out quickly, defending her fiancée. "She was worried about me." Pru still appeared concerned. "Believe me - we talked a lot about this, Pru."

Pru saw the look of shame and contrition as Paige dipped her head, so she jumped back into celebration-mode. "Well, that's Paige – the Protector! So where'd you get the ring, Paige? Emily, hold it up to the camera again!"

* * *

The Rosewood girls set up a complicated array of Skype and facetime so that all of them could be on the call with Paige and Emily at the same time. They knew that it had to be something big, but they weren't quite sure what it was. Hanna had tissues at the ready, expecting it to be news of a break-up. Spencer thought that they had made the US Olympic team. No one foresaw the engagement announcement.

Once the words left their mouths, Emily saw the wheels start to turn in Hanna's head. She knew that Hanna was going through a mental list of venues, caterers, and wedding gowns. Hanna began jotting some things down and shot Emily the "Call me!" gesture, pointing to her notepad.

Aria and Spencer were interested in why the two of them got engaged in the middle of the school year. A little gun-shy after the way that Pru reacted, Emily just said, "The moment seemed right."

Paige nodded with a lecherous grin. "You've got to lock that down!" she blurted out, pulling Emily into her side before Emily nudged her away with an elbow.

"We just wanted to tell all of you before the news got plastered all over facebook. You know how fast good news travels once it gets out." She figured that the girls would find out the whole story eventually, maybe over Spring Break – sometime when they could talk a little bit more intimately, without all of the technology in between them to muddle everything up.

* * *

The last people on their list to tell were Fred and Gloria. Paige and Emily had been going to brunch with the Herndons once a month or so, so the couple wasn't surprised when Emily called to see whether or not they could get together on Sunday afternoon.

Gloria made her usual over-the-top assortment of brunch treats, and Fred, as usual, stood ready to grill up eggs to their order. While they were eating, Emily brought up their news. "So, we have a favor to ask you." Fred and Gloria smiled widely at them in reply. "This one," Emily said, bumping shoulders with Paige, "has finally asked me to marry her..." Gloria gasped and got up to hug Emily, then Paige. Fred's lip was quivering slightly through his smile.

"So, you have a ring and a date?" Gloria asked.

"No date, yet," Emily replied, "but I do have a ring!" She ran to retrieve her purse and fished the ring from it. "I guess I can wear this, now that everybody knows."

Fred pretended to be shocked. "You mean you told your family and friends before you told us?"

"You're the first ones we've told in person," Paige conceded, playing along.

Gloria took Emily's hand for a closer look. "Now, this looks like a mother's ring."

"Grandmother's," Paige said proudly.

"You're going to have to get that sized," Gloria said. "Wouldn't want it to slip off that beautiful finger, now would we?"

"Yep," Paige agreed. "Apparently, Grandma McCullers came from hardy Western PA stock!" She laughed, adding, "Must be where I get these babies," and made an exaggerated show of flexing her biceps. Emily playfully rolled her eyes, but there was no denying the tingle that went through her when she saw the flex in those arms that had held her so securely almost every night for the last four years.

"Well, the ring is absolutely beautiful, isn't it, Fred?" Gloria asked. "We're so happy for you. And, of course, we'll be glad to do you any favor related to this joyous occasion." Fred was nodding his head in agreement.

"Thanks so much," Paige said. "We wanted to ask you to be a part of the wedding, but we haven't figured out any of the ceremony yet."

"Well, we could always sing a song, couldn't we, Fred?" Gloria asked, looking over at him as they both launched into an old-sounding song which they harmonized together, never looking away from each other as they sang:

_I love you truly, truly dear,_  
Life with its sorrow, life with its tear  
Fades into dreams when I feel you are near  
For I love you truly, truly dear.

_Ah! Love, 'tis something to feel your kind hand_  
Ah! Yes, 'tis something by your side to stand;  
Gone is the sorrow, gone doubt and fear,  
For you love me truly, truly dear.

They ended the song with a kiss. Fred was misty-eyed. Paige was, too. "Fred and his stick buddies sang that to me at our wedding," Gloria explained. "Of course, we would sing something more up-to-date for yours. If you want us to sing at all, that is! We'll do whatever you want us to!" Gloria was bubbling over with delight.

Emily glanced at Paige to confirm that they were thinking the same thing. "No," she said, "That song is perfect." She kissed Paige.

"Now, girls! That song was old even when Fred and I were young!" Gloria protested.

"We would love for you to sing it," Paige shot in. "It would be like giving us a connection to your wedding."

"Well," Gloria mused, "I guess you've got your 'something old, then!'" They all laughed.

"Wait," Fred questioned, "Are you talking about the song or us?"

"You're both classics!" Paige retorted.

* * *

"Hey, Paige?"

Paige knew from Emily's tone - and from the fact that Emily was still awake - that it was something serious. It had been a good day, and Paige just wanted to enjoy it. She rolled onto her back and looked inquisitively up at Emily. Emily twisted a lock of Paige's hair between her fingers and continued, hesitantly, "Does it bother you that you weren't my first?" Paige sighed heavily. Emily turned away from her. Paige reached over to Emily's shoulder, nudging her to face her.

"That wasn't my answer, Em. I'm just trying to figure out how to put it in words. I mean, because - sure, I would've _liked_ to have been your first, but does it bother me that I wasn't? No. Absolutely not. I haven't wasted a moment thinking about whom you were with before I met you. I'd much rather enjoy the fact that you're with me, now."

Emily turned away again. "I wish that you had been my first," she said softly to her pillow. "If I could go back and change one thing in my life, that would be it."

Paige moved closer to Emily, hugging her. She kissed her bare shoulder and replied, "Well, I wouldn't change anything about you, Em. Everything that you've been through is what made you who you are - made you the woman whom I love. I'm enjoying 'what is' too much to worry about 'what might have been.' I'm looking forward to my future with you, not back to my past without you."

"Do you ever wish that you'd had someone before me?"

"Oh, God no, Em!" Paige answered without having to think it over. "No way! Not at all! I'm so glad that you were my first. I would never want it any other way!"

Emily turned to face her. "See? That's what I mean." She ran her index finger lightly across Paige's face. "I just wish that you had been my first."

Paige nodded, finally understanding what was bothering Emily. She kissed her. "I get what you're saying, Em. And I wish that could be true for you, too. But, remember what you told me? - It was going to be perfect, because it was _our_ first time?" She kissed her again. "You were right, Babe. It _was_ perfect. It was _ours_."

Emily nodded sadly and hugged Paige closer. "You have no idea how much I love you," she sighed

"Oh, I think I do," Paige affirmed with a kiss. "You show me how much, every day." Another kiss. "And I love you, too."


	3. Awards Banquet

"You don't have to go to this thing tonight," Emily said for about the millionth time. She knew that it would be awkward for Paige to go to the swim team's awards banquet after the Cara incident, and that it would be hard to watch others pick up the trophies that she, by rights, would have been taking home were it not for the punishment that the coaches doled out.

"Emily, there's no way that I'm going to miss tonight. It's not about _me_ , it's about the team. I mean, even if I _didn't_ want to go, I couldn't really stay home after telling the team over and over that to think team first, team second, and team last. Besides, she added with a kiss to her fiancée, "I _want_ to go."

"It's just not fair," Emily said, applying powder to her face. "You shouldn't be penalized because of what Cara did. _You_ should be up there on that podium tonight."

"Emily, it's fine! Besides, we both know that it's going to be all about you tonight! Even before the Cara thing, I was planning to go and be the supportive girlfriend. The only thing different now is that I'll be going as the supportive fiancée!"

Emily rolled her eyes and repeated to herself, "It's not fair."

Paige and Emily had become the twin pillars of the team over the course of their four years at Stanford. After their success in the freshman and sophomore campaigns, they had given a powerful boost to Stanford's recruiting, and their team senior year was one of the strongest in the program's history. They had done it all together. They were co-captains, and Paige led-off the relays that Emily anchored. As much as Paige deferred to Emily as the logical choice for swimmer of the year, the honor, by rights, could have gone to either of them. The fallout from the Cara incident, Emily thought, just made it an easier decision for the coaching staff.

Even in their appearance, they complemented each other, Emily in a dramatic, long, white ball gown; Paige in an equally stunning black suit with pants. Emily's long dark hair dramatically draping her shoulders; Paige's auburn hair with lighter highlights pulled tastefully back into a bun. Emily gave her a long look, from head to heels. It would be a shame, she thought, not to show her off tonight.

As Emily put on a final coat of lipstick, she turned to Paige. "Paige, when you see Cara tonight…"

Paige sighed deeply. _Really?_ "I _know_ , Em," she broke in, somewhat annoyed. "I'm not going to get into a fight with her or anything."

"Paige." Now Emily was annoyed. She put her hands on Paige's shoulders. "I _know_ that you won't. I was going to say – don't let her ruin your evening – our evening. Just let it go."

Paige nodded her head. "I have. I've let it go."

"And, if she comes over to apologize?"

Paige thought it over for a moment. "Emily, please try to intercept her."

"But if I can't?"

Paige grabbed Emily's hands. "I'm okay, Em. I'll be okay." They heard the honking of a horn outside and went out to catch their ride with Vicki and Bob.

* * *

Vicki took a quick look around the banquet hall once they arrived. Spotting what she was looking for, she excused herself and Bob. Paige followed them with her eyes all the way over to Cara and her friends. Vicki said something that made Cara scan the room. Paige looked away before Cara's eyes spotted her. Cara hung her head slightly and nodded sadly to Vicki.

It was harder than Paige expected, at the banquet, watching, when the events in which she excelled were announced, as lesser swimmers went up to claim their trophies. Overall, though, she really was enjoying herself, and she was thrilled every time that Emily's name was called to receive the trophies for her events.

When the relay team was recognized, Coach Meehan read Paige's name along with those of three other swimmers. Emily grabbed Paige's hand to pull her onto the podium with her, but Paige sat and shook her head, not sure that she should go. She looked up and saw Coach pointing to her and gesturing her forward, so she smiled and went up. It felt good not to go home empty handed, but, more than that, it felt as if she were still part of the team.

When the final award of the night came around, Emily nervously grabbed Paige's hand with both of hers, her fingers digging in. Paige gave her an "Are you kidding me?" look. "Emily, there's no way you don't win this!" she leaned in and said.

On the podium, Coach Meehan said, "Well, rather than keep you all in suspense," and everybody laughed, knowing who the winner was, "let's just get them up here so that they can hear all the nice things that I have to say about them." Paige didn't have time to question why he was speaking in plural before he continued, "Emily Fields and Paige McCullers, get up here!" Emily turned to her, screaming in total shock. They hugged as their teammates applauded long and hard, finally collecting themselves and running up to the podium hand in hand.

"Now, ordinarily, this award goes to one person, but, let's face it: The two of you are pretty much one person, aren't you? In fact, I wanted to have it engraved to 'Paily,'" he said, turning the trophy toward the inscription, "but, no, the rest of the coaches told me that I had to put 'Emily Fields' and 'Paige McCullers' on there. You guys have had a tremendous impact on this program. How many of you out there came to Stanford for the opportunity to swim with these two?" Several hands went up across the room. "Even though you're leaving this year, you're leaving a legacy, and what you've built is a foundation that we can build on, for years to come.

"Now, we wanted to give you something besides just this trophy to remember us by. We all know what this is," he said, as a picture of Paige's bucket-list map was projected on the screen behind them. Paige turned a bright red. She had no idea that anyone besides Emily and her knew about the map, but someone had managed to get a picture of it. The map was well-worn from having been folded and unfolded through the years, and a respectable number of states had been exed out. "You guys have been keeping track of all the places where you swam together over the years." Paige let out a sigh of relief. So, people knew, but they didn't know. "Well, the next step is to take the Paily tour international," Coach Meehan said, as he handed them a framed map of the world with pushpins to stick in the countries that they visited. There were already pins in the US and in Mexico, where the Stanford team had traveled on a good-will trip. (On Paige's map of the US, the X that they had earned was at the bottom of the page, with an arrow pointing south of California.) Emily and Paige shared a knowing look. They were ready to start filling this new map with pins.

When Coach Meehan finished, he turned the microphone over to Paige and Emily. Paige excelled at giving locker-room speeches, but she couldn't handle being the center of attention like this. Her eyes went everywhere except towards the crowd in front of them. When Emily started speaking, Paige was grateful to have someone to focus on. Her eyes locked on Emily. There was a huge smile on her face. They kept the grip on each other's hands throughout Emily's speech. "Paige and I are truly honored to have been able to compete alongside this great group of swimmers for the last four years. We're excited to think of the potential that's still out there for those of you who will be returning in the coming years. We've been proud to be your co-captains, and you never once let us down. Wherever we go, what we all have built here is going to go with us. You all have a special place in our hearts. And we're always going to be rooting for the Cardinal!"

Paige ducked her head and gave a shy "Thank you" into the microphone as she brandished the trophy for everyone to see and led Emily back to their table. Emily gave her a celebratory kiss, but there was something more in Emily's eyes. The moment, the euphoria, the high of being surrounded by their teammates, the way Paige looked with her hair up in that suit and those heels – not to mention, Emily felt pretty sexy in the gown that she was wearing - it was all getting to her. They had been the gracious winners. Now, they were counting the minutes till they could get out of there.

Over the years that they had been together, Paige and Emily had subconsciously developed an elaborate system of signals for unspoken communication when they were in a crowd. They precise placement of Paige's fingers on Emily's shoulder told Emily that Paige was just as eager to move the party back to their apartment. Of course, the way that Paige's eyes kept drifting down to Emily's cleavage was a much less subtle signal. Emily lightly squeezed her hand up Paige's thigh, telling her to hang in there a little bit longer, subtly shifting in her seat to give Paige a preview of what she was hanging in there for. Paige responded by impatiently tapping out a rhythm on Emily's shoulder with her fingers. Emily stroked her hand higher on the outside of Paige's thigh and gave another gentle squeeze. Paige's tapping turned into circles that she began rubbing on the exposed skin underneath Emily's hair, where her gown plunged in the back. Emily smiled over at Paige and puckered ever so slightly, to blow her a subtle kiss. She grabbed Paige's other hand, beneath the table and brought it up for a kiss before she interlocked their fingers and put their hands into her lap, close enough for Paige to feel her heat. Paige was done. She squeezed Emily's hand and leaned her face into Emily's, pleading. Emily put her forearm to her head. She had suddenly developed a headache. She excused herself from the table and went to give good-byes and an apology to the coaches. Coach Meehan said that he understood, and that he would arrange to have their trophies and the map taken back to his office so that they could pick them up whenever.

Vicki offered to give them a ride back to their apartment, but Paige declined, saying that she didn't want Vicki and Bob to have to leave the banquet early. There were plenty of cabs outside the hotel where the banquet was being hosted, and, frankly, Paige preferred to have some anonymous cabbie be the one to see what was about to take place in the back seat of the car that took them home.

* * *

The cab driver, totally distracted by Paige and Emily's antics, had never engaged the meter. When they got to the house, Paige impatiently asked him, "How much?" and he said not to worry; the show was worth the fare. She reached into her purse and tossed some bills his way as a tip before she sprinted for the front door.

Once on the other side of the door, Paige only took her hands off Emily long enough to get out of her shoes and to let her hair down. She was never so happy for a dress that was easy to get Emily out of than she was at that moment. With a quick unzipping, it fell to the floor, and Paige short-circuited at the sight of her fiancée's caramel skin in a lacy white strapless bra and thong. "So help me God, I'll never get tired of that vision," she said, reconnecting her lips with Emily's.

"Yeah?" Emily said between kisses, urgently pushing Paige's jacket off of her shoulders, "Even when I'm old, fat, and wrinkled?"

"I don't care," Paige said honestly, "as long as you're mine." Her hands couldn't stay still; groping Emily's ass and rubbing up and down from her thighs to her shoulders. That bra needed to come off, and once she removed it, her kisses moved lower – to Emily's jaw, to her neck, to her shoulders, and to her chest, before she finally claimed her prize, kissing, sucking, and biting Emily's glorious breasts. Emily had both hands in Paige's hair, but she quickly redeployed them to work at getting Paige's shirt off. Paige stood up. She liked this. She liked the way that Emily looked her dead in the eye with that serious, lustful expression, biting the corner of her lower lip as she impatiently undid each and every button. All the while, Emily would grind her creamy thigh in between Paige's thighs. Paige threw her head back, moaning loudly, and Emily took advantage of her exposed neck, descending on it with kisses and bites, leaving her mark on the pale canvas.

Paige put both hands on Emily's ass, pulling her in closer, making her grind more deeply into her. Emily let her enjoy a few strokes before she dropped to her knees and undid the button and zipper on Paige's slacks, sending them falling to the floor. She looked up at Paige with a lascivious smile, before diverting all of her attention and her facial muscles to Paige's crotch. She lightly, teasingly, ghosted her tongue over Paige, tasting her through her lacy boyshorts with a low, rumbling, "Mmmmm, Baby!" Paige's hands were tightly balled fists; her eyes were shut tight and her head was shifting from facing left to facing right as she tried to avoid disintegrating into a million pieces all around Emily. She wanted to pick her up and carry her to bed, but Emily was having none of that. For whatever reason, Emily had decided that it was all about Paige, at least for now. Now, it was Emily grabbing Paige's ass and pulling her in deeper.

Emily mercifully yanked down Pagie's boyshorts, soaked from both sides, at this point, and massaged Paige's ass and the back of her thighs. She was kissing and licking the front of Paige's thighs, looking up at her in jubilation and lust. Paige grabbed Emily's head in desperation, guiding it to her folds. Emily licked and sucked at Paige's clit, moving her fingers in and thrusting forcefully. Paige was finding it hard to stand. Her toes were curled tight beneath her; her hands fisted tight in Emily's hair; her teeth biting hard on her lower lip.

Emily reached up to Paige's breasts, pushing her bra out of the way. Paige grabbed it and pulled it over her head, her hand grabbing Emily's arm. Emily got the signal: Paige wanted it hard, fast. Emily stood up and began kissing Paige deeply, backing her over to the couch. It would be a pain to clean in the morning, but it was closer than the bed. She pushed Paige down onto it and jumped on top of her and gave her what she needed, squeezing their interlocked fingers with one hand, curling her fingers inside Paige and stroking deep and fast with the other. She gave Paige's clit gentle strokes with her thumb, occasionally halting her kisses to Paige's abs to lick and suck there. Emily persisted as Paige's hips rose above the couch and she pounded her fists into the cushion, whimpering, moaning, and calling out Emily's name.

Once Paige's breathing restored to normal, she rolled over into the couch, pinning Emily under her. What happened next was something that Emily was not prepared for. Paige rolled over onto her back and pulled Emily's arms around her shoulders. Then, she hoisted herself up from the couch, carrying a slightly panic-stricken Emily piggyback into the bedroom where she flopped backwards onto the bed in something resembling a WWE Divas maneuver. Emily was laughing heartily until Paige turned over and faced her, and Emily saw the serious look in her eyes. She reached up and pulled Paige down by her hair into a kiss, breathing, "Take me, Baby" into her ear.

Paige kissed Emily slowly and longingly. She was going to take her time and enjoy this evening. She lovingly, unhurriedly smoothed her hands over each of Emily's curves, whispering in her ear how sexy Emily looked in that white dress; how all that she could think about all through the banquet was ripping the dress off of her; how fortunate she felt that she was the only one who got to see Emily finally out of it. Emily's mind and soul were with Paige, but her body was getting impatient. She squeezed her legs together as her body squirmed beneath Paige. Paige's groping became more purposeful in response to the signals from Emily's body; her own body matching the movement of Emily's beneath her. She pinched Emily's nipples, causing Emily to gasp and relax her tensed-together legs. Paige seized the opportunity and entered Emily's slick opening with two fingers that met with no resistance. Her other hand caressed Emily's face, and Emily sucked on her thumb, biting down on it when Paige hit just the right spot. Emily could feel that Paige was wet again, as Paige's thighs came down on either side of Emily's right leg. Emily reached up and forcefully pulled Paige into a kiss. Paige's fingers never lost their rhythm inside her. Emily lapsed into staccato, high-pitched whines. She slid her hands down to Paige's side, stroking the abs that she loved so much. She dug her fingertips into Paige's ass, and Paige knew that she was close. She added a finger, twiddling Emily's clit with her thumb. Emily's explosion was epic.

* * *

"So, what do you say, McCullers?" Emily asked, gently stroking Paige's arm from the side. "Should we take this international? Cross some countries off of our list?"

Paige smirked, rolling back on top of her and sitting up to straddle her. "What do _you_ think?" she laughed.

"It's weird about that map, though," Paige said out of nowhere, rolling back onto the bed, next to Emily. Emily sleepily agreed. "How do you think everybody found out?" Emily was suddenly wide awake.

She knew that she couldn't pretend not to know. Paige could read her too well. Instead, she tried to play it off like a joke. "Yeah, how could anyone have figured that out?"

"Okay, Em," Paige said patiently. "What's going on?"

Emily let out a long sigh. " _Someone_ overheard you doing your sexy talk to me on one of our road trips, saying that you couldn't wait to add another X."

"'Someone,' huh?"

Emily ignored the sarcastic comment and pressed on with the story. "So, she came up to me later and asked me what it meant, and I told her that you kept a map with Xs in all of the places where we've competed together since we started dating. So, she said, 'Aww, that's really sweet,' and I said, 'Yeah, but you can't let on that you know about, because Paige would die of embarrassment if she knew that anyone had found out about her sentimental side.'" Emily looked over to see how Paige was taking this. Paige waved her hand impatiently, wanting to hear how the story ended.

"I, mean, Paige, I wasn't trying to keep secrets from you. It's just that I didn't want you to get all embarrassed about this." Paige nodded her head rapidly, still impatient for the rest of the story. "So, then, about a month ago, she asked me 'Do you think that you could scan Paige's map for me? We want to do something special since it's the last season that you two will be competing together for Stanford,' and I said, 'No way! Paige can't know that _anybody_ knows about the map, or she'd physically die!' And she said, 'No, no! We'll be discreet! It's just something special that we want to give the two of you,' and, Paige, they sounded so sincere, and they _really_ wanted to do something nice, so I scanned it and gave them the file."

"Uh huh," Paige said. A few moments later, she added, "And you're never going to tell me who it was, are you?"

Emily turned over to face Paige, laying her hand on Paige's chest. "Does it matter, Paige? Can you just blame me? It was my fault. Be mad at me."

Paige kissed her on the cheek. "I'm not mad, honestly. I'm just curious." She kissed Emily again and turned over to sleep.

Emily hated keeping secrets from Paige. She wrapped her arm around Paige's middle and pulled herself in closer. "It was Deb. Deb Canyon," she said into the back of Paige's shoulder. "She was the one who overheard. And she and the freshmen girls were the ones who came up with the idea of getting a picture of the map. But Paige," Emily pleaded, pulling Paige onto her back and looking down at her with big, pleading eyes, "you _know_ how those freshmen girls idolize you! Honestly, if they thought that you were mad at them, it would devastate them!"

Paige looked up at Emily and her big brown eyes. "And yet," she said chuckling, "I'm actually not mad!"

"Really?" Emily's face scrunched up with the question.

"Really," Paige said, leaning up to kiss Emily. They settled into sleeping positions before Emily broke the silence again.

"I think that some of the freshmen have started maps of their own." She could feel the laughter start to work its way up Paige's body.

"Maybe we could autograph them before graduation," Paige joked.


	4. Spring Break, Texas

Spring Break senior year was Lake Travis, just outside of Austin, Texas. The girls had gone to San Diego freshman year, close to Stanford, and Daytona Beach sophomore year, for the East Coast contingent. They went back to Florida junior year, but for senior year, they chose a more neutral location. In large part, the decision was made for Emily's sake. Her parents were in Fort Hood, which was about an hour away. Paige and Emily wanted to see her parents in person, now that they were engaged, so they flew into Austin the weekend before and drove their rental car up to Fort Hood.

Before Paige and Emily could even make it into the house, Pam engulfed Emily in a lingering hug. She wouldn't let go. She had tears in her eyes. Emily was crying, too. Paige was busily snapping and posting pictures of the scene until Pam called out, "Come here, you!" and pulled her into the hug, adding, "My future daughter-in-law!"

Emily and her mom had come a long way. When she first came out to her parents, she never would have envisioned this kind of reaction to the news that she was going to get married. And, back then, she wouldn't even have been able to marry Paige in Pennsylvania.

Pam and Wayne's apartment was small compared to their house in Rosewood, but there was plenty of room for just the two of them. It had some of the comforts of home, but, for the most part, it looked temporary, like a stopover on the way to their final destination. They had become settled in Rosewood, and they knew that they would return there eventually. Her father was nearing the point where he could retire, but he was waiting to see whether or not he made the promotable list. It would be worth hanging in for a few more months, if it meant that he could retire as a full colonel.

The apartment had two bedrooms. Pam made it very clear that Emily would be sleeping on the couch in the living room. Emily and Paige thought that it was a bit silly, since they were already engaged - and already engaging in conjugal behavior - but they didn't protest. They just wanted to enjoy the weekend of celebration with Emily's parents.

* * *

After the dinner that she cooked, Pam pulled out the album from her wedding. When Paige and Emily announced their engagement and made plans to head to Fort Hood for spring break, Pam asked Hanna to dig the album out of the attic of their house in Rosewood and ship it out to Texas.

Emily had seen the pictures hundreds of times, but they never got old. She was enjoying watching Paige see them for the first time. Paige kept telling Pam that she hadn't changed. "I hope that I hold up half as well when I'm coming up on thirty years of marriage!"

"I hope that you do, too!" Emily teased. Her mom flipped a page, and. Emily gasped, putting her hand over a picture before, she hoped, Paige had a chance to see it.

"What?" Paige chuckled, trying to move her hand away.

"Might as well show her, Emmy, 'cause I'm going to tell her the story either way!" Emily was blushing, something that Paige had rarely seen, as Pam explained, "When Emmy was three, she decided that she was going to marry her father. A lot of girls say that, but she was dead serious about it. She made up invitations and got all of her little stuffed animals together on the couch for the wedding." By this time, Emily's hands were off the picture and were covering her face, which she buried in Paige's neck.

"I had a long, white robe, and Emmy wore it as her wedding dress. Wayne was deployed, so we had to pretend that he was there." Pam pointed to the picture that Emily had covered up earlier. "This picture used to be on top of a cabinet. Emmy climbed up, took it out of the frame, cut her head out of a picture of the three of us, and pasted it on top of my head in our wedding picture. We still don't know how she got up to the top of the cabinet or how long that picture was up there before her dad and I noticed."

Paige laughed, kissing the top of Emily's head. "Aww - that's -" Emily cut her off with a look. "Funny! It's funny, _Emmy_. Not cute or adorable at all." Turning to Pam, she said, "We are _so_ showing that picture during the reception!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "We are so not. And don't call me 'Emmy,'" she teased.

"Too bad you didn't get a picture of the teddy bear wedding! I would die to be able to see that," Paige said off-handedly. Pam smiled. Emily cringed, knowing what was coming on the next page. "No way!" Paige exclaimed excitedly when she saw the fading Polaroid in the album. "Em, - we've got to use this in our video! How am I just finding out about this now?"

"Okay," Emily said closing the book, "The 'Embarrass Emily' hour is over for tonight!"

* * *

"So, I must remind you of your dad, then?" Paige teased, when they finally had a moment alone. "You were dead set on marrying him, and now you're marrying me!"

"Kind of, yeah," Emily admitted sheepishly. She knew that Paige was just teasing her, but she did see some of her dad in Paige.

"Really?"

"Paige, you have to admit that you two have a lot in common." Paige shrugged, conceding the point. "Plus, Emily said, walking over to Paige and running her hands up and down her arms, "you make me feel safe - protected. And..." she leaned in for a kiss but pulled away at the last second, "I know that I can get away with anything!"

"If that's true," Paige said, pulling Emily in for the kiss that she had just been denied, "and you can get away with anything, how is it that I'm sleeping in here and you're sleeping on the couch?"

"Because, as Pam Fields loves to say, 'That's why God gave you a mommy _and_ a daddy!'"

Paige opened her mouth as if to say something but shook her head instead. "What?" Emily asked.

"You can't tell me how loved and protected I make you feel and then kiss me like that when we're in this tiny apartment and I can't have you."

"Aw, I know, Baby," Emily apologized with a kiss. "But when we get to Lake Travis, I'm all yours."

Paige gripped Emily a little tighter. "Em, come on - you're killing me here! Do I really have to sleep alone tonight?" Emily looked up and smiled sadly, giving Paige a final kiss good night before she retreated to the couch.

* * *

Wayne had some paperwork to catch up on Saturday morning. Pam and the girls met him at the base early in the afternoon to go to lunch. First, though, he took Emily and Paige around to show them off. The pride in his voice was obvious every time he said the word, "fiancée." He bragged about Paige almost as much as he did about his own daughter: "You should see this one on the gun range! She gave me a run for my money."

Paige was impressed by military life. There was the formality and ritual; the salutes and the obvious respect that Wayne Fields commanded, but, at the same time, there was the camaraderie; the genuine fun that they seemed to have together. For a moment, she could see herself in that life, working, drinking, and raising hell with her buddies. She knew that it wasn't that simple, but she definitely saw the appeal. That kind of atmosphere was one of the things that she was going to miss most about swimming on a team.

"Can you picture me in those?" she whispered to Emily, pointing to a soldier in camouflage fatigues.

Emily gave her a scolding look. "On Halloween, yes." Emily wasn't about to go through all of the anxiety and not-knowing with Paige that she had grown up dealing with, with her father in the Army.

* * *

Spring Break was tinged with sadness. As excited as the girls were for Emily and Paige, there was the ubiquitous, unspoken feeling that this was the group's last hurrah. Marriage marked not just a new beginning, but also an ending. Before long, the others would likely get married, and the group grow apart, both physically and relationally, their lives revolving around family, in-laws, and new friends. While there was no doubt that their friendship would survive, it was definitely going to look different. Even without the changes that the upcoming marriage would cause, they would be hard-pressed to find an entire week out of the year when their work and grad school calendars would align so that they could spend time together. There was a time when they could count on spending the entire summer together; before that, they spent almost every day together.

This Spring Break marked, in no small way, an end to their childhood. Even in the way that they spent their time, it was a more mature Spring Break. The things that they were now able to do legally had become less important than they were in the earlier Spring Breaks of fake IDs, bars, and contests. Spring Break this year was about bonding, shared experiences, making memories, talking earnestly. The girls (It was only the girls until the middle of the week, when the guys flew in.) bonded over hikes, window shopping, leisurely dinners, and long talks.

The longest of their talks was about the Cara incident. Paige offered to let Emily and her friends discuss it among themselves, so that they could speak freely about it. "So, you're throwing me to the wolves all alone?" Emily asked.

"Emily, I'll be there if you want me to be. I just thought that they might have some concerns that they wouldn't feel comfortable discussing with me there."

Emily conceded that Paige was right, so she headed off to Hanna's room to have the talk while Paige waited nervously back in their room. After what seemed like forever, Paige heard a knock on the door before Emily let herself and the girls in. Aria was the first to hug Paige. It was obvious that things had gotten emotional. Hanna was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "Thank you," Aria said. Paige looked at Emily, puzzled.

"We're all protective of Em," Spencer explained. "We know that you are, too. It's just good to know that you're there to watch over her." Spencer and Hanna took their turns hugging Paige, who still looked slightly puzzled. Things had, apparently, gone much more in her favor than she could have hoped. The dinner that followed was much less awkward than she had feared that it would be.

* * *

Back in the room, Paige was hugging Emily from behind and kissing her earlobe. They were both a little tipsy from dinner. "So, do you think that we can cross Texas off of our list tonight?"

Emily turned around in Paige's arms, with both hands flat on Paige's chest. "We've already crossed it off, silly. Multiple times!"

"Yeah, but it's a big state. Besides, I'm kind of an overachiever, you know."

"I do know," Emily agreed, "and my protector, apparently," she added, rubbing her arms over Paige's biceps.

Paige sighed. "So that meeting went okay? They weren't freaked out?"

"They were freaked out about Cara, not about you."

"Really?" Paige asked diffidently. "You told them how insanely I went off on her?"

"I did. I believe that the response was 'Fuck Yeah!'" Emily dropped her voice a couple of registers to drive home the point.

"But, I scared you, Em."

"In the moment, I was scared. But I was afraid _for_ you, not afraid _of_ you. They weren't afraid, though. They were glad that you were there."

"I know, but-"

"Hey!" Emily cut in, grabbing Paige by the arms and moving extremely close to her face. "Do you want to talk, or do you want to put another X in the great state of Texas?" as she posed the question, she backed away from Paige and shimmied out of her tank top.

Paige looked Emily over from top to bottom, her eyes full of longing and her body full of lust. "Let's do this," she yelled, in a fake Southern accent, "'cause my love is as wide as the great state of Texas!"

"What was that?" Emily laughed.

"I said, 'Saddle up, Lil Filly, 'cause we're doing this Texas style!'" With a "Yee-ha!" she tossed Emily over her shoulder and toted her over to the bed.

* * *

Emily was nestled in Paige's arms, not ready to go to sleep quite yet. She was casually running her index finger over Paige's stomach when she asked, "Remember when Spencer found out that you and I were going to be roommates at Stanford, and she told me that I'd better sleep with one eye open?"

"I remember," Paige said, laughing gently as she kissed the top of Emily's head.

"Little did she know," Emily continued, "that I'd never feel as safe as I do sleeping in your arms."

"Yeah, or that she would end up thanking me for being your _protector_."

"I guess she must've gotten to see your scary side way back then," Emily said without thinking. She immediately wished that she could take it back. She knew how bad Paige felt about having lost it with Cara.

"Is that what she said?" Paige sounded defeated, as though she would never live down her reputation from field hockey.

Emily sat up so that she could look Paige in the eye, and she put her hand on Paige's chest. "No, Paige, she didn't say that. They don't see you that way at all, I promise. Actually, when we talk about you, it's mostly about how caring and sentimental you are." Emily mentally cringed again. She didn't want Paige to feel insecure about being seen as sweet and sappy. She looked down, biting her lip, and prepared to apologize. She saw that Paige was smiling, though.

"Well, fuck yeah, I'm caring and sentimental!" she laughed, planting a sloppy kiss on Emily's lips as she rolled on top of her. She was tired of talking. She just wanted Emily one more time before they went to sleep.


	5. Moving On

As the school year drew to a close, Paige and Emily had some decisions to make. They looked at grad schools and at jobs, but that wasn't where either of them expected to be in the fall.

Emily assumed that they would both be swimming. They had swum with the national team for a couple of weeks every summer, and Emily planned to compete for a spot on the two-year squad that was preparing for the Olympics.

Paige wanted to take a gap year.

Emily was confused and upset when they first discussed it. Paige told her that it would be perfect: Emily could live out her dream, and Paige would be right there with her, living in the same town, supporting her, helping her train.

"And how are you going to afford all of this?"

"My Dad's fully behind the concept of the gap year." Emily gave her a warning look. "I don't want us to depend on my Dad forever, but he's willing, and why not just be young for one year?"

"I can't believe that you're willing to give up swimming just like that."

"I won't be giving up swimming! I'm a part of whatever you're doing, Emily. I want to be that girl who sits in the stands and watches you win. You'll be winning for us."

"This doesn't sound like the competitive McCullers that I know…"

"Yeah. I guess I'm just finished with that, you know, Emily? I just want to be young and enjoy myself."

"Well, are you at least going to the trials? Don't you want to know whether or not you would make the cut?"

Paige thought it over. "There's a part of me that would want to know. Mostly, though, I'm afraid what would happen if I made it – would I be able to let it go?"

"Maybe I shouldn't compete."

"Oh, no, Emily. You should. This is your dream. If you don't want to do it because of you, that's fine. But don't say no because of me. "

"I'd just feel so guilty if I were living your dream."

"You'd be living it for us. My dream is for you to be everything that you want to be."

* * *

The competition was intense. Emily was notified that she had qualified as an alternate. She would still travel and train with the team, but she would compete only in the instance of illness or injury. She and Paige discussed it long and hard. Emily wasn't sure that it was worth making the sacrifice – both on her body and on their relationship – when she didn't really make the team. Paige was adamant that she had to go for it. "Ask yourself, Emily: When you're looking back 20 years from now, will you wonder what life would have been like if you had taken this opportunity?"

"What about you? You passed on the chance to compete."

"Yes, and I asked myself that question. I've asked myself that question for years. I knew that this was the right time for me to step aside. But I don't think that you're ready to step aside yet, Em. Are you?"

Being honest with herself, Emily wasn't ready to give up her dream of swimming. She decided not to concentrate on the fact that she was an alternate, but, instead, to enjoy the opportunity.

* * *

But, first, there was graduation to get through. Emily's parents were there, of course, as was Paige's father. Fred and Gloria Herndon "wouldn't miss it for the world." They were looking forward to it only slightly less than they were looking forward to the wedding. Hanna flew out as well. She and Caleb crashed the prom and got horribly wasted. Nothing could have ruined the prom for Paige and Emily, though. The memory of the final dance would remain with Emily forever. Paige held her so close that nothing could come between them, and, she knew, nothing ever would. Swaying around the dance floor with her head on Paige's shoulder felt safe. It felt like home. It felt like forever. They knew that they would change, that the world would change, that life would change, but they knew that, through everything, through all of the changes, they would still be together; still be in love; still be _Paily_.

In the Stanford tradition of the Wacky Walk, graduating seniors parade into the stadium in outfits, sometimes in groups, with themes. The graduating seniors from the women's swim team went with an "Under the Sea" mermaid theme, with Paige out front, controlling the head that was suspended from a pole above her, and Emily anchoring the tail.

Their small but vocal contingent in the audience braved all of the speeches and presentations, cheering loudly when Paige and Emily's departments were called. It was a beautiful, if slightly cool, day for a graduation, and it was an accomplishment that they would both treasure for the rest of their lives.

* * *

After the ceremony, the families, the Herndons, Hanna, and Caleb all went out for dinner. All of the local restaurants were crowded, with the influx of families for graduation. The mood was light, despite the wait, but everyone was relieved when they were finally shown to their table.

Fred and Gloria were eager to get to know the parents of the girls whom they'd come to love so much. Nick, Pam, and Wayne, for their part, were glad to meet the couple whom their children had told them so much about. Fred and Wayne bonded over war stories and tales of military life. Pam was amazed at Gloria's spirit and her positive attitude. "I can see where you've rubbed off on my Emily."

"You know," Gloria said in a serious tone, "we think the world of these two girls. The three of you have done a terrific job in raising them. You should be very proud - of yourselves as well as your daughters."

Fred confirmed her thoughts. "From the moment that we met Emily on the airplane, we knew that there was something special about her. She has a great heart and a real love for people." Paige was looking on, smiling in agreement at Fred's assessment of her fiancée.

"And we knew that Paige had to be special," Gloria continued, "to capture Emily's heart. It didn't take long for us to figure out how special she was, once we met her." Emily gave Paige's shoulder a rub and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"It's funny how lives intersect," Hanna mused. "I mean, just think how different your lives would be – our lives would be – if you hadn't sat next to Emily on that plane."

"You meet people," Nick opined, "and you don't know whether or not you'll ever see them again. You've just got to enjoy them in the present. The future can take so many different twists and turns."

"Enjoy today," Fred agreed, "because tomorrow's not guaranteed."

* * *

Paige and Emily spent two quick weeks in Pennsylvania with their families before they had to head out to the training facilities in Colorado.

The complex was amazing; intimidating; imposing. Emily was a bit overwhelmed. The level of competition was several notches higher than anything that she had ever been exposed to. The program itself was much more intense than she could have been able to imagine. It was exhilarating and frightening all at once.

The team spent much more time learning the mental aspect of their sport than Emily had ever done before. There was a lot of film to study and a lot of theory; a lot of diet and nutrition; a smattering of sports medicine.

And the physical training was a huge challenge. Emily loved the water and felt at home there. At Stanford, she learned that this love wasn't enough; that she had to work to be her best. But Stanford was nothing compared to this. The coaches and their assistants dissected every aspect of her form. She got lots of one-on-one attention, including specifically tailored work-out and stretching regimens and a diet drawn up for her specific needs.

From a training standpoint, there was no difference in being and alternate and in being a full team member. Most of the swimmers didn't know who the alternates were. They trained together, studied together, and dormed together.

It was hard on Emily not to be able to do this _with_ Paige. Paige was in the same city, but she wasn't in the dorm with her or in the pool, cafeteria, and classrooms. Emily had very little free time, and she was mentally and emotionally exhausted with the little time that she had.

Paige had some connections from the summers that she and Emily had spent with the national team, and she was able to get a volunteer pass. She had studied kinesiology at Stanford, so she worked with the trainers, even getting the opportunity to sit in on some of Emily's workouts. That helped. But, all in all, Emily was discovering that reality was nothing like the dream.

It wasn't the hard work or the intensity. It was the lack of feeling that she was part of a team. It was really dog-eat-dog, with everyone looking out for herself. Emily had never experienced that before. She was used to being competitive as a team, but always supporting one another within the team itself. She didn't like the thought that team members were reluctant to help other team members out, for fear that they might jeopardize their own position. She wasn't happy, but she didn't want to quit. The program had invested so much in her. She didn't want to leave them with nothing to show for it.

Paige advised her that she should cut her losses; give someone from the wait-list an opportunity to train with the team. "It's not worth doing it if it's going to make you this miserable."

"Even if I could walk away, and throw away the investment that the team made in me, then what? What would I do? It's too late to apply to grad programs!"

"We could do whatever we want! We could have our gap year. Or we could get married, and take an extended honeymoon!"

It really did sound great. But Emily didn't want to let down the team. Paige told her that the team didn't care. It was all a science, and if one variable didn't work, they would just plug in another variable. In the end, Emily was resolute about finishing what she started, so Paige gave her her full support.

And then, as had happened so often in their lives, fate intervened. Emily got a bad ear infection that kept her out of the water for three weeks. She kept up with her studies and nutrition, but, because of the effect on her balance, the trainers wouldn't let her lift or do yoga. When the doctors cleared her to return to the pool, she went to meet with the coaches. The time away from the cutthroat atmosphere had given Emily a little clarity. She talked to the coaches about her alternatives. In the end, she decided that it was time to leave.

It was a decision that she would never regret or second-guess.

* * *

Paige and Emily decided to move to Rosewood. Emily's parents still had their house there, although Pam had moved to Texas to be with her husband. They still envisioned retiring in Rosewood. In the meantime, Hanna was housesitting for them while she took some classes as Hollis and pursued her interest in fashion.

Paige and Emily decided to get married the day after Christmas, since most of Emily's friends were going to be back in Rosewood for the holidays. This gave them a few good months to plan, and gave their friends from Stanford plenty of time to start making travel arrangements.

Hanna picked up Emily and Paige at the Philadelphia airport. She was overflowing with excitement at seeing them again, and at having someone to share the house, which she had convinced herself was haunted, with her. She wanted all of the details about Colorado and Emily's training. She filled them in on all of the Rosewood gossip – although the names were somewhat unfamiliar to Emily after so many years away.

Emily smiled at the comfort of being home again. Her parents had done some renovations since the last time that she was there, but, all in all, the house looked the same. Hanna had laid claim to the guest room. Emily went back to her old bedroom, deciding that it was just too weird for her and Paige to share her parents' bed.

Paige carried their things up to the room, and she and Emily held each other close. It was just such a relief, to be free from all of the pressures of Colorado and to be with Paige again. Paige had that sappy grin on her face. Emily asked her what was up. "Finally!" she all but shouted, "I get to make love to you in this house!" Hanna cleared her throat down the hall in the guest room, and then started cracking up. Emily gave Paige's shoulder a smack. "Curse these thin walls!"

"Paige," Emily said, wrapping her arms around Paige's neck and kissing her slowly. "I've been sleeping by myself for the better part of the summer." She grabbed Paige by the collar. "There's no way on earth that you're not making love to me tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, everybody... We all know that, in whatever universe, Paily would be swimming for Olympic gold, but, quite frankly, I don't have the skills to write that story (or the time to research all the details of being on the team). There are some Paily goodies ahead, though. Thanks for sticking with the story so far!


	6. Mom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and angsty update... Let's get it over with!

Paige had been engaged in an internal debate, off and on, since her father gave her his mother's ring. The frequency increased after she proposed. Now that they had set a date and were actively planning their wedding, she knew that she had to come to a decision: Would she reach out to her mother or not?

Paige wanted her father's opinion as well as Emily's, so she and Emily drove out to spend the weekend with him. He pointed out that it was a little late to try to build a relationship with her mother before their wedding. Paige wasn't interested in a relationship. She didn't even want her mother at the wedding. She just wanted her mother to know who she was, as far as her relationship with Emily, and that she had done just fine despite the way that her mom abandoned her.

"Paige," Emily cautioned, "are you sure that this is the way that you want to see your mother? Don't get upset with me for saying this, but it sounds a bit vindictive."

"She's still your mother, Paige. Telling her that you're getting married and not letting her be a part of it would be devastating to her."

"I'm not concerned about her, Dad," Paige almost whined, "I'm concerned about you! How can I have her sit there at my wedding as if she's been a mother all these years? As if she had half as much - a tenth as much - to do with who I am as you did? How could I do that to you, Dad?" Emily smoothed her hand over Paige's thigh to let her know that she was there for her. Paige grabbed her hand and held on.

"Don't worry about me, Paige. I'm going to support whatever decision you make."

"That's my point, Dad. You've always supported me. You didn't just drop in out of the blue and pretend to be my parent."

"Maybe," Emily offered, "she doesn't have to come as the mother of the bride. Maybe you can let her know that she can come as a guest, I don't know."

"And, Paige," her dad added soberly, "I'm sure that you've considered this, but she might not want to attend your wedding."

Paige started sobbing. She had considered that. She didn't know whether or not she could handle another rejection from her mother. It had taken her years to stop blaming herself for the fact that her mother left. It wasn't until she started dating Emily that she fully stopped blaming her father, having learned that, in a relationship, you don't run; you stay and work things out. Especially where children are involved. She realized that Emily's arm was around her, rubbing her arm and pulling her head onto her shoulder. Steeling herself, Paige sat up. "I need to know. I need to know why she left. I don't know how I feel about the wedding. But I need to be able to close this chapter of my life. I don't want it to haunt my marriage."

Emily rubbed her arm over Paige's back. "I can understand that, Paige," she said, kissing her on the cheek. "And you know that I support you, whatever you decide."

Nick told them that he would track down Paige's mother and make the initial contact. They had been in sporadic contact through the years - mainly with legal questions. In the few times that they had corresponded, she had never asked about her daughter - something that Nick thought better than to tell Paige.

With that question behind them, they resolved to lay the topic to rest and enjoy the weekend. Nick woke them up bright and early on Saturday morning for the drive up to the lake. Emily did her best not to laugh out loud at the sight of Nick McCullers in his denims and cut-off shirt, wearing a Cabela's cap with fishhooks stuck into the brim. They loaded the SUV with fishing tackle, sandwiches, and beer. On the trip up, Paige turned around in the shotgun seat to share stories of their past trips to the lake, what they had caught, and what had gotten away. "You know how to gut and clean a fish, don't you, Emily?" Nick asked, and Emily looked wide-eyed at Paige. "Paige, don't tell me that you're marrying a city girl who can't gut a fish!" Emily smiled in relief, putting her hand on Nick's shoulder once she realized that she was being teased.

It was Paige's turn to laugh out loud when she saw Emily in waders. She had never seen anyone look quite so uncomfortable. She looked, Paige thought, with no pun intended, like a fish out of water.

Paige did her best to show Emily how to cast, but she was only making Emily adorably frustrated. "Okay, Paige - I've got this!" she finally yelled, and Paige backed off, with her arms up in surrender. She really thought that her dad was going to have to swim out and place a fish on Emily's hook under the water, as he used to do for Paige when she was little, to make her feel better.

* * *

Paige made an introductory call to her mother before they made arrangements to meet at a coffee shop in Philadelphia. Nick had made the initial contact. Paige wasn't sure how much he had told her. Her mother was pleasant on the phone, neither warm nor distant.

"I'm going to go with you," Emily insisted.

"I appreciate that, Em, but, really, I think that this is something that I need to do alone."

"No, Paige. I'm not going to let you do this by yourself."

"Emily, I don't know how I'm going to react when I see her. You don't need to see that."

"Shit, Paige, would you stop being such a lone ranger all the time? We're getting married, now, so I get to see you when you're at your best and when you're at your worst. You don't get to fight all your battles by yourself. I'm going with you."

* * *

On the morning that they were supposed to drive into Philly, Paige felt like calling her mother and canceling. Or just not showing up, in a form of poetic justice. Emily held Paige for a long time, smoothing her hand over her hair and assuring her that she didn't have to do anything that she didn't want to do. Emily would stand by her if she wanted to see her mother or if she decided to leave it. "This is all about what _you_ need right now."

"I'm a mess, Emily. I can't go see her when I'm like this." Paige was on the verge of tears. Emily was, too, but she was being strong, because that's what Paige needed.

"Look at me," Emily said gently. "You're the strongest person I know. But this hard. It's very hard. If you want to do it, we'll get through it. We're strong enough. If you don't want to, or if you don't want to right now, that's fine, Paige. You don't owe anything to anybody, except yourself."

Paige nodded her head and began pulling herself together. She really did want to get this taken care of before the wedding. And she knew that it wouldn't be any easier if she put it off for another day.

Emily drove the entire way into Philadelphia with her hand holding Paige's, in Paige's lap. Paige was psyching herself up as though she were preparing for a swim meet. Emily gave her hand an occasional squeeze, sometimes to encourage her and sometimes to check that she was still all right.

* * *

Paige wasn't sure that she would recognize her mother. She spotted someone waving and pointed her out to Emily.

Paige wasn't hard to spot. Her mother had read about her in the papers, plus she knew that she was coming with another woman.

They headed over. Emily listened for a tremor in Paige's voice and looked for any clue that Paige might need a moment. There was nothing. Paige's grip on her hand stayed constant: She didn't tighten or slacken it. Emily knew that she was in the zone.

Her mother greeted them with half a smile. Paige didn't bother to introduce herself or Emily. They just sat down. Paige knew that her mother knew who Emily was. Paige firmly declined her mother's offer to get something to eat. "This is coffee, not a meal.," she said stoically. Her mother nodded in resignation.

"I'm here," she continued, "because my _father_ taught me respect. So, I'm here out of respect to let you know that Emily and I are going to get married in December. And I'm here out of respect to listen to whatever you may have to say to me."

Paige's mother nodded her head in understanding. _So that's the way that it's going to be._ She looked slightly deflated. Paige looked determined. "I don't suppose that it would do any good to say that I'm sorry?" Paige just kept looking at her. She had told her that she was going to listen. She didn't feel the need to elaborate. "Paige," her mother tried again, reaching across the table as if to take her daughter's hands, but Paige had them under the table, where they were being held by Emily. "We all make mistakes. We all have things that we wish that we could take back. I missed out on so much of your life, and, if I could undo that, I really would. All that I can say is that it was the biggest mistake of my life, Baby, and I'm so sorry."

Paige tightened her grip on Emily's hand at the use of the word, "Baby." _What gives her the right?_ She opened her mouth to say something, but she just exhaled instead. She hadn't come to argue with her mother. She had come to listen respectfully. "Thank you for saying that," she said instead. "Is there anything else?"

"I just want you to know that I do love you, Paige. That's never changed." She reached her hand toward Paige's face, but Paige recoiled, slightly, without really thinking, and her mother withdrew her hand.

Paige nodded her head at her mother's admission. She accepted it, whether or not she believed it. Her father was right. It takes time to build a relationship. She couldn't say that she wanted a relationship with her mother, at this point, but her mother shouldn't expect everything to be okay after one talk in twenty years - and one that her mother didn't care enough to initiate herself. They drained their coffee cups in silence. It was killing Emily, whose personality was to engage anyone in conversation. She held her tongue, though. This was between Paige and her mother. She was there for Paige's comfort, not for her own.

After Paige and her mother stared past each other for the amount of time that it took them to finish their drinks, Paige looked at Emily and said, "We need to get going." She nodded toward her mother and thanked her for meeting with her. Before she turned away, her mother said, "Paige – the wedding?"

"We'll send an invitation," Paige replied with no emotion before turned toward the door.

It was only when they were back on the road that Paige broke down. Emily pulled over into an empty parking lot and held her fiancée as she cried it out. "She didn't tell me why. She didn't think that she owed me that much? She didn't know that that was the question that tortured me all of my life. 'I've always loved you' – well, where the fuck where you?" Emily held her and let her say what she was feeling, placing little kisses on her head and shoulders, and into her hands. She was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she just listened. When Paige had finished crying, she withdrew from Emily's hug and shrugged her shoulders, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Paige, you did the right thing," Emily said, drawing her back in for a hug before she pulled out of the lot and headed back to Rosewood. By the time Emily pulled into the driveway, Paige was fast asleep, emotionally drained. Emily sat in the car for a while, running her fingers through Paige's hair. She wished deeply that she could undo all the emotional damage that Paige's mother had done. She knew that all that she could do was be there for Paige. She pressed a kiss into Paige's hair and announced that they were home.

* * *

"Emily," Paige began as she lay in bed behind her fiancée, "I want to thank you for coming with me today. I don't know how I would've handled it if you hadn't been there. I know that I said that you didn't have to come, so, thank you. You were right. And I'm glad that you insisted."

Emily turned around and kissed Paige gently. "I love you, Paige," she kissed her again, "and I want to be with you when things get rough."

Paige kissed her back. "I love you, too, Emily. I just - I always had to fight my battles by myself, you know? It just feels good to know that I'm not on my own anymore." She held on tight to Emily. "I don't know how I ever managed without you."

Emily smoothed Paige's hair out f her eyes. "That's funny, because I could say the same thing about you."

Paige shook her head. "You don't have to say that..."

Emily leaned up on her elbow. "I'm saying it because it's true," she said, stroking Paige's hair. "How many times have you been there to pick me up? With Maya, with my studies sophomore year, with the decision to leave the national team. That's what we do. We pick each other up."

"I don't know. I just know that I want to be with you, in good times, in bad times. I finally get that line from weddings: Richer or poorer, better or worse. I don't care. As long as we're together."

"We are, Paige." Emily hugged her. "Till death do us part."


	7. The Gap

Paige and Emily were at odds about how to spend their last free month before the intense planning for their wedding started up.

"We should do some volunteer work," Emily asserted. "Isn't that what the gap year is all about?"

"Maybe in Europe," Paige responded, only slightly tempering the sarcasm in her voice. "Here, in America, it's a celebration of freedom."

Emily laughed and played along. "So what did _you_ have in mind?"

"Road trip! We could hit the Rock and Roll Museum in Cleveland, drive down to Lexington – it's the horse capital of the world, you know – then on to Knoxville to see the Sunsphere…"

"The what?"

Paige pulled up a picture of the Sunsphere from the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, and showed Emily.

"Right. Had you even heard of that before today?"

"Well…"

"You know," Emily said with a weary shake of her head, "We're not going to be able to cross off all 50 states before the wedding."

"I know! I've just always really wanted to visit Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina…"

Emily sighed. "Sometimes, Paige, I wonder why I even brought up that whole thing in the first place!"

"Because you had no idea how OCD I was?"

Emily just kept shaking her head, with a smile of resignation. "Let me see that map." She counted 12 Xs, not including the one for Mexico. "That's respectable – we've hit almost 25% of the states." She made a deal with Paige: They would make it a goal to hit five states a year. "We've already added two states this year, so you get three more. Choose wisely."

"You forget, Em, I'm an overachiever!"

They had the West Coast pretty well covered from their swim meets for Stanford, and Paige figured that they would always be able hit the states that were close to Pennsylvania. She suggested that they fly out to Texas to visit Emily's parents, then make a loop through Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

"Wow – the deep south? You must really be serious about this, McCullers!" Emily was teasing about Paige's choice, but she did think that it would be good to see her parents in the lead-up to wedding planning.

* * *

Emily gave Paige the A-ok after she got off the phone with her mom and dad. "They're definitely up for it. They agreed that it would be good for us to get together since we're about to get serious in our wedding planning."

"Great!" Paige enthused. "It's on! So how are they doing?"

"They're doing fine." Emily rolled her eyes. Paige gave her a half-smile, her eyes asking for clarification on the eye-roll. "My Dad asked whether or not you were taking good care of his _baby_. For a second, I actually thought that he was talking about me."

When Paige and Emily decided to head back to Rosewood, Wayne asked Paige to take his bike – his "baby" – out for a spin every once in a while, to keep it tuned up.

"Don't roll your eyes! It's a beautiful machine. It's natural for him to be concerned about it!"

"It just cracks me up, this whole bromance that you two have going on."

"Can I help it if we like the same things? Motorcycles, the firing range…" She fished for a third item to complete the list, finally blurting out, "You!"

"Yeah, smooth one, Paige. I'm glad that I made the top three. I just wonder whether he'd be so excited about letting you ride his bike if he knew what those rides lead to afterwards."

Paige laughed. "I'm sure that he knows, Emily. I mean, he used to take your mom out riding, right?"

"Ew! Ew! Ew!" Emily smacked Paige on the shoulder with each "Ew." "Gross, Paige – they're my _parents!_ "

"So?"

"So, they've never had sex!"

"They must have had sex at least once, Em!"

"No, Paige. I don't want to think about that! That's not how I got here! The stork brought me!"

"Jeez – just imagine how hard it's going to be for our kids to wrap their heads around the subject."

"Well, I'm sure that 'Health' class will cover a lot more of the bases by the time our kids start asking questions."

* * *

"You know that life isn't going to be like this all the time, right?" Emily asked, spooned up with Paige, awake with her thoughts when she should have been sleeping.

"What do you mean?" a very sleepy Paige responded.

"We won't always be able just to pick up and go away for a month whenever we feel like it. We won't always be able to charge everything to a credit card and not have to worry about the bills."

"Of course I know that, Em! That's why I keep telling you that we should be making the most of the opportunity while we have it!"

"And that's why I think that we should be giving back. Not everybody has this charmed life that we do. It's only right that we invest in the lives of others who don't have it so nice."

Paige kissed the back of Emily's head. "You have a great heart, Emily. I really love that about you. So, what did you have in mind?"

Emily turned around and put a hand on Paige's chest, idly running her finger along the outline of the collar on the t-shirt that Paige had worn to bed. "Well, there are always veterans groups in Army towns. When we go out to Fort Hood, we can spend a day volunteering. You might be able to help out at the VA hospital, with your physical therapy background, or we could just spend time with some of the men and women who don't have families to visit them."

Paige nodded, liking the idea. "In Oklahoma," Emily continued, "we could get in touch with a Native American group or maybe the United Way. I'm sure that they could always use a couple of volunteers. Same thing in Arkansas and Louisiana – we could help the Red Cross or the United Way, or some local charities."

"Or an 'It gets better' group?"

"Yeah, something like that!"

Paige cupped Emily's cheek and gave her a kiss. "That's a great idea, Em. I'm with you a hundred percent. I love these ideas you come up with late at night in bed."

"Yeah?" Emily returned the kiss. "The last time that you told me that, it was about sneaking around to your old bedroom in your dad's house!"

Paige laughed, kissing Emily again. "Well, don't get me wrong, I love the sexy ideas, too. But I do love this idea so much. We should make a point of volunteering when we do our five states every year. That could be one of the traditions that we have in place when we start a family: Every vacation, we set aside one day to volunteer somewhere."

Emily kissed Paige, nodding enthusiastically. "I knew that there was a heart in there, Paige McCullers," she smiled, tracing her finger over Paige's chest in the shape of a heart.

Paige smoothed her hand through Emily's hair. "I guess you just bring out the best in me, Emily Fields." Emily kissed her. "You bring out the _beast_ in me, too, sometimes!" she chuckled.

"Mmm," Emily hummed into Paige's lips as she trailed her hand down Paige's side, surprising her at the end with a pinch on her ass. "I definitely want to bring out the beast tonight!" she grunted with a devilish laugh.

* * *

"So, are you going to be Grumpy Paige today?" Emily asked as they got ready to head to the airport.

The question itself made Paige a little grumpy. "Emily, all those flights we took at Stanford, was I grumpy?"

Emily took Paige's hands hands in hers, hoping that the physical contact would help them back away from the adversarial tone that the conversation had taken. She really was concerned, though. She wanted to be able to enjoy the trip, not just the destination. "That's true, Paige. You weren't grumpy on those trips. But they were different. Those trips were shorter, we had the whole team to distract us, and we were all pumped up for competition. Let's face it," she tilted her head and let her voice inflect higher for the rest of the phrase, "and I say this out of love: Waiting in an airport for a long flight with connections, it's not the most fun time to be around you." She lowered her head and looked up at Paige, raising her eyebrows to ask for confirmation.

Paige released Emily's hands and put her arms around her waist. She kissed her and affirmed, "I'll be on my best behavior. I promise." Emily smiled and kissed her back, not letting her skepticism show.

The problem wasn't so much Paige's grumpiness, but the way that she handled her grumpiness. When she was in a bad mood, she tended to draw into herself to recharge her batteries. Emily, on the other hand, drew her energy from those around her. When she was having a bad day, she needed to talk and needed to feel connected to the people whom she held the closest. Over their time together, the two had become more sensitive to each other's needs. Paige tried to be in physical contact, at least – holding Emily's hand or sitting close enough that their bodies were touching – when she was in her withdrawn moods. Emily, for her part, tried to give Paige some space when she saw that Paige needed to re-energize. It was during times when they were both under stress at the same time that things became difficult, as they both reverted to type. Emily dreaded those times. They made her feel as if Paige didn't need her.

Paige was pulling her tighter. "I know that it's hard, because we're so different."

Emily nodded into Paige's shoulder. "I'm not going to let it ruin the trip for me, though."

Paige picked up Emily's chin and looked into her eyes. "I've gotten better, though?" she pleaded, with adorable puppy-dog eyes.

Emily smiled and kissed her. "You've got a long way to go, McCullers!" She put her head on Paige's shoulder and ran her hands across Paige's back, pulling her still closer to her. They enjoyed that moment, gaining energy from one another, inhaling each other, being together, until Hanna impatiently called to them from downstairs.

Emily took a step back, flipped her hair into place, and shot Paige a "We can do this!" smile before she stepped in again to give her a kiss of encouragement. Paige gave her the thumbs up and grabbed their bags.

* * *

The trip wasn't as horrible as Emily had feared that it would be. Thankfully, there weren't any delays, and they didn't have to rush to make their connecting flight, so Paige's stress level was low. This meant that her interaction level with Emily was relatively high. That, in turn, helped Emily with her fear of take-offs and landings. Emily had gotten somewhat better with all the flights to and from Stanford for holidays, summer vacations, and Spring Break, plus all of the times that the team flew to competitions. Still, she was much better when she had Paige to talk with her and keep her mind occupied. She was thinking about this in the air, on the final leg of their flight: How much better things were when Paige was with her. Her arm was interlocked with Paige's and her head was on Paige's shoulder. Paige was asleep, her head resting on a bunched-up jacket next to the window. Emily leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek, and Paige smiled in her sleep.

When the plane finally touched down, the man who had been sitting in the aisle seat next to them helpfully retrieved their carry-on bags from the overhead bins. He was a couple of years older than them, by the looks of it. "I hope that you don't mind my asking," he said with a smile that Emily couldn't quite read, "but are the two of you together?"

Emily could feel Paige going on the defensive. She reached for Paige's hand and replied, sweetly, "Yes, we are," turning her smile to Paige. Paige was giving the man a hard, blank stare.

There was a moment of awkward silence and awkward smiles before the man said, "Well, enjoy your stay in Texas," and took his place in the aisle.

* * *

Paige headed to the luggage carousel while Emily went off to the rental car counter. Wayne had offered them his car for the month, saying that he could bicycle to work, take the post shuttle, or get a ride with one of his buddies, but they declined, realizing that going a month without a car would be more than they could ask of Emily's parents.

While Paige watched other people's luggage spin around and around, hers and Emily's nowhere in sight, the man who had been sitting next to them on the plane walked up next to her. "Listen, I hope that I didn't give you and your… partner?"

"Fiancée," Paige corrected, in no uncertain terms. Her guard was still up.

"Fiancée," he echoed, "Wow, that's great. Anyway, I didn't want to give you two the wrong impression. Sometimes, I just don't know what to say, but, I just – well, I saw the way that you two really care for each, and it was an inspiration." Paige tried her best to smile. "I just, I didn't want to sound patronizing, or make it sound as though you needed any approval from me. Ugh. I'm not really saying this well, am I?" Emily had pulled up, by this time. She gave Paige a concerned look and grabbed her hand, to make sure that she was okay, knowing how uncomfortable Paige could get one-on-one with a stranger. Especially _this_ stranger, who had already managed to get on Paige's bad side.

"I was just telling your fiancée," the man continued, "that I wish you all the best. I mean there's a lot of negativity in the world, and I'm sure that you face your share of it, so, I just wanted to say something." He awkwardly extended his hand.

Emily shook his hand and smiled, "Thank you. That means a lot. We appreciate it." The man smiled and gave them some space, heading to another section of the carousel to wait for his bags. Emily cupped Paige's cheek and asked, "Are you okay?"

Paige nodded. "He was actually being sincere, Em. He's probably not used to seeing same-sex couples in real life, and he just wanted to make an effort," she reasoned with herself in answer to Emily's question.

* * *

It was late on Thursday evening by the time Paige and Emily made it to her parents' apartment. Pam gave them both long hugs. Wayne hugged them, too, though not as long, before he excused himself to go to bed. His 5:00 wake-up time was fast approaching. Pam offered to heat up some of that night's dinner for them, but they told her that they would be fine, so she went to join her husband. Emily foraged around in the refrigerator for a bit. They weren't really hungry, but they weren't ready to go to bed. They just wanted to extend the evening and decompress together for a while. They ended up sitting at the kitchen counter sipping on glasses of sweet tea, not really saying much. There wasn't much to say.

"Do you think that this is what it's going to be like after we've been married for about ten years?" Emily asked, wondering aloud about their moment of shared silence.

"Oh, yeah. I could definitely see this. Once the kids are finally in bed, hanging out in the kitchen, you, me, hot coffee instead of iced tea, too tired to talk, but not wanting to leave each other's company just yet."

"Mmm. That sounds so.. good. I can't wait to have a family with you" Emily was smiling, but she could barely keep her eyes open.

Paige rinsed their glasses and placed them in the dishwasher. She wiped the counter clean. "Come on, Emily," she sighed. "Let's get you to bed."

Emily threw her hands around Paige's neck. "Carry me?" Paige laughed and reached down, pulling up Emily's legs and carrying her to the bedroom. Emily yelped. "No, Paige, I was joking! Put me down! Put me down!" she giggled.

"Shh! You'll wake your parents!" Paige had an arm beneath Emily's legs and one underneath her back, as Emily's arms encircled Paige's neck, clinging for dear life. When they reached the bedroom, Paige used the hand under Emily's legs to turn the doorknob, backing up into the door to open it. She laid Emily down on the bed and sat downbeside her, stroking her hair.

"Shit, Paige," Emily said, suddenly wide awake. "I forget how freaking strong you are!" She sat up, pushing Paige on her back, kissing her intensely.

"Em – don't start anything that we can't finish in your parents' apartment!" Paige cautioned.

Emily laughed seductively, lightly Paige's bottom lip with her teeth. "To be continued - in Oklahoma!" she promised.


	8. BLT

Wayne was at the office before Paige and Emily woke up on Friday morning. Emily had actually bumped into him when she was on her way to the living room, to pretend that she had slept on the couch all night. He teased her with a look of fatherly disapproval. Emily assured him that nothing had happened between Paige and her, and that she would never disrespect her mother that way. "I know that you wouldn't, Emmy. But it's probably best if we just keep this our little secret."

"Thanks, Daddy," she breathed, relieved.

"And no repeats! You get a freebie because you guys were so tired last night, but, from now on, you start and finish on the couch. Understood?"

Emily nodded and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek before she made her way to finish her bedtime on the couch.

* * *

Pam let the girls sleep in, since they were worn out from their trip. They had planned to head out to the mall in Killeen for some pre-wedding window shopping and discussion. Pam wanted to start looking for a mother-of-the-bride dress while Emily was there. Paige felt a little like a third wheel, but she enjoyed seeing Emily with her mom. She knew how important their time together was.

When Emily had a chance, she pulled Paige aside to make sure that she was okay. Paige nodded. "I kind of wish that I had that," she admitted. "What you and your mom have, you know?"

Emily looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, Paige. I don't want to make things hard for you."

"No, it's okay, really, Em. I don't usually have a problem with it, you know that. This – the way that it's affecting me right now – kind of took me by surprise."

"Of course, Paige. Getting married is a huge step, so of course you'd want your mom there for it."

"I'll be all right, Em. And it honestly does make me glad to see you and your mother sharing the experience." Emily squeezed Paige's hand and rubbed her shoulder. "I'm fine, Emily," Paige assured her, giving her a quick kiss. "Go be with your mom. I'm just going to sit here for a bit," she said, pointing to a bench.

"You're sure that you're okay?" Emily asked with an empathetic pout. Paige smiled weakly and nodded. "We won't be much longer," Emily assured her, backing away from Paige with a sad look on her face before she turned to jog over to her mom.

"Is Paige okay?" Pam asked, her face showing her concern.

"Yeah, she is. She's just missing her mom a little," Emily answered sadly.

"Oh, of course she is," Pam said sympathetically. "Why don't you two spend some time together? We can meet up in an hour?"

"No, Mom, it's okay. She really wants you and me to spend time together. And, besides, she and I will have the next three weeks together!" Emily knew that what Paige was in one of her moods where what she needed most was some solitude.

Pam wasn't convinced, but she let it go. She was enjoying her daughter's company. It had been ages since they had last had the opportunity to spend time together like that.

* * *

That evening, Wayne took them all out to dinner. "I would've expected this place to be more crowded on a Friday night," Paige mused.

"Yesterday was payday on post," Wayne explained. "That's when the restaurants get packed. Unfortunately, when these soldiers get a little money in their hands, it doesn't last that long."

After they settled in and placed their orders, Wayne asked how they had made out. "It was good," Pam replied, trying to downplay it. "We made some progress." Emily grabbed Paige's hand under the table. Like her mother, she was worried about Paige's feelings.

Paige squeezed Emily's hand to let her know that she was all right. She really didn't want to be the center of the conversation. She was glad when Wayne changed the subject. "So, Paige, how's my baby?"

"She's great!" Paige said enthusiastically, moving her hand from holding Emily's and settling it onto Emily's thigh as she spoke. "I've been riding her hard, opening her up, seeing what she can do." Emily struggled to keep a straight face, although she was shocked beyond belief at the boldness of Paige's double-entendres.

"Well, I know that you're being responsible," Wayne said, shooting Paige a serious look.

"Oh yeah, Dad. You know how serious Paige is. And she loves that bike."

"I know, I know," Wayne conceded, throwing his hands up. "I wouldn't have asked her to look after it if I didn't know that I could trust her."

As their appetizers arrived, the conversation shifted. Pam asked about their tri-state tour.

"Well, you know," Emily explained, "ever since I brought up the concept of checking off the states that we've visited together, this one has been obsessed about getting them all crossed off."

"Emily told me that we could only do five a year," Paige cut in.

"How many have you visited so far?" Wayne asked.

"Twelve down, 38 to go!" Paige replied.

"It'll be fifteen after this trip!" Emily added.

"Plus Mexico!"

"And you're volunteering?" Pam asked.

"That was Emily's idea. She wanted to give back as part of our gap year, to make it mean something."

"Well, I think that it's a great idea," Pam said.

"Oh, I do, too!" Paige agreed.

"Paige actually made the suggestion that we make it a family tradition – raise our kids to do a day of volunteering whenever we go on vacation."

"Well, I know that the guys at the VA will be happy to see you," Wayne offered. "They could always use a hand. It's a thankless job. And the vets, it doesn't matter how young or how old they are, it's easy for them to feel forgotten, so they always enjoy visitors."

* * *

After they got ready for bed, Emily sat next to Paige on the couch and asked about her mom. "Are you having second thoughts about connecting with her?"

Paige was resolute. "No," she said, "None whatsoever."

"I'm sorry," Emily said. "I just know how hard it was for you today."

"Emily, it was fine. I'm really glad that you and your mom are so close. And I really wish that I had that with a mom. But not _my_ Mom. She was the one who closed that door. If she had been there all of those years and we had a falling out when I started dating you or something, then, yeah, I would definitely swallow my pride and try to fix things, because she's my mother. But she can't call herself my mother. Mothers don't just pick up and leave."

Emily gave her a long hug. "You know that I support you, whatever you decide, right?"

"I know, Em. I appreciate that."

* * *

On Saturday, they did some sightseeing around Fort Hood and Killeen. It was a lot easier on Paige, since Emily's dad was with them. It wasn't that Paige spent all of her time with Wayne while Pam and Emily did their thing, it was more that the group was more balanced, having four people rather than two. Paige spent a good deal of time with Emily and Wayne one-on-one, and she also had a fair amount of alone time with Pam. She never felt on her own, the way that she had on Friday. Most of the time, they were all together, but, at those times when Emily went off with one of her parents, Paige moved on seamlessly with the other.

Back at the apartment, Paige and Emily started making treats for their visit to the Veterans Administration Hospital. Pam sat at the counter to chat, but, before long, she found herself getting into the action, measuring, sifting, cutting, and sorting. They were actually a lot more productive with her there. Even so, they occasionally let themselves get distracted by hugs and kisses until Pam made an exaggerated spectacle of doing everything herself, guilting them back into focus.

* * *

They had made arrangements to volunteer at the Veterans' Administration just after its Sunday morning chapel. They came in for the tail end of the chapel service and were introduced to the patients and residents. Afterwards, they made rounds to the rooms, handing out goodies and spending some time getting to know the patients. Paige showed one surly young vet some exercises to help relieve some pain that he was experiencing in his shoulder. The nurse who was accompanying them asked him, "Now, why is it that you'll do those stretches when _she_ asks you, but not when the physical therapists ask you?"

"She's much more persuasive than they are!" Turning to Paige, with a wink, he said, "Now ,Honey, I'll do anything that you say, you know that."

"Anything?" Paige confirmed.

"Absolutely anything, Darlin'!"

"Well, what I really want you to do for me is – listen to the nurses and physical therapists and stop giving them such a hard time. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"If that's what you want, Sweetheart. Your wish is my command!"

"Okay, because my fiancée and I are going to be back in a month, and we're going to ask the nurses!"

"Well, a gentleman always keeps his word, now, Sugar!"

Paige found herself genuinely enjoying their time at the VA. It wasn't just that she and Emily were doing something together; it felt good to be able to apply some of what she had learned at Stanford in the real world. More than that, it felt good to be making a difference in these vets' lives. They were both exhausted when the time came to head home, and their feet hurt. On the way to the car, Paige tightened her grip on Emily's hand and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Emily, for coming up with this idea. Today was just about perfect."

* * *

Paige and Emily weren't too tired to cook dinner on Sunday night, as they had promised Pam and Wayne that they would. They wanted to do it as a thank-you to her parents, and, also, as a way to show them that they were capable of taking care of things in the kitchen. No matter how old Emily got and how long she had lived on her own, her parents still liked to see her as their little girl who couldn't fend for herself. Emily even got the sense that her mom thought that she was too young to get married – although Pam was appreciably younger when she and Wayne got married. "Things were different back then," she said, to justify her double standard. As frustrating as her stance was to Emily, she couldn't help but appreciate the fact that Pam's concern was her age, not the fact that she was marrying a woman. She would have been just as apprehensive had Emily been engaged to a man. Emily realized that her mother had come a long way.

Over dinner, Pam continued on the theme that her little girl was too young to fend for herself. "Now, you make sure that you keep plenty of gas in the tank," she admonished them. "You're going to be driving through some pretty desolate country. You don't want to run out of gas out there in the middle of nowhere."

"Mom, relax. I've been on my own for four years, now, and I somehow managed to survive."

"You weren't on your own. You were in college."

"Yeah, but my professors didn't cook for me or drive me from class to class."

Paige was stoic on the outside, but cracking up on the inside. She didn't know why Emily was letting her mom get her so worked up. However, had they been having this conversation with Nick McCullers, Paige would have been just as defensive as Emily, and Emily would be the one telling her to relax.

"Paige," Pam said, pulling Paige out of her introspection, "Don't let her do anything foolish on the road!"

Paige put her hands up, as if to say that she had no sway over Emily. Before she could say anything, though, Emily chimed in, "Oh, so, what is Paige, my babysitter, now?"

"Emmy," Wayne interjected with authority, "your mother and I are concerned about you. We're your parents – you just have to live with that."

Even though Emily wouldn't get into it with her dad the way that she would with her mom, she still didn't think that it was fair. "How about Paige? You don't seem to be worried that _she'll_ do something irresponsible!"

"Of course, we're worried about Paige," Pam exclaimed, grabbing Paige's chin and squeezing it. Releasing her grip, she turned somber. "Now, Paige, you listen to my daughter when she tells you not to be reckless, okay? When she tells you to give her the keys, you give her the keys!" Paige's face turned as red as a stop sign. Emily refused to drive with Paige whenever Paige was upset, and she had asked her to hand over her keys on more than one occasion. These weren't Paige's proudest moments. Apparently, Emily had vented about them with her parents.

Emily soothingly rubbed Paige's shoulder. "I _always_ listen to your daughter, Pam. Always," Paige laughed.

* * *

It was about a five hour drive to Norman, Oklahoma, the first stop on their BLT, as Paige christened it, short for "Bucket-List Trip." They only stopped to stretch their legs and change drivers. While they waited for check-in time at their hotel, they grabbed lunch and went to the welcome center.

The hotel room was comfortable; not as cramped as some of the accommodations that they had gotten used to on some of their trips with the team, but by no means luxurious. It was to be their home for the next week. After a long morning and afternoon on the road, all that they were interested in on their first day was a shower and a nap.

It didn't work out that way.

They had spent a weekend reining in their desire while they stayed with Emily's parents. Even back in Rosewood, they didn't really get any alone time, with Hanna and, often, Caleb, in the house. Their bodies really missed each other. Their minds missed the intimate connection. So, when Emily noticed the tension in Paige's shoulders and straddled her back to massage it out, one thing led rather quickly to another. What started as something fast-paced and urgent became languid and tender, as their bodies remembered how much they enjoyed each other. There was nothing to distract them. There was nothing that had to be done. Everything that they needed was right in that room, and they took their time. They took all night.

Paige's bucket-list map was the furthest thing from their minds.

Tuesday, they went to Andy Alligator's Water Park. It was hot and wet, and Paige was being a goofball, and Emily was in those tight cut-off jeans with a flimsy shirt, and they couldn't get back to the hotel fast enough.

After an early dinner, they went back to Andy Alligator's for some miniature golf, just to prove to themselves that they could be together and have fun without things getting physical.

They were almost successful.

Emily was enjoying the view of Paige, totally focused, leaning over her golf club and arching into the swing, or crouching down to line up her shot. Focus wasn't coming that easily to Paige, not when Emily kept yanking at her tank top in the evening heat, trying to get some ventilation, or throwing her head back as she sipped from her water bottle, then rolling the bottle over her face to cool herself down. Paige knew full well why it was that Emily would occasionally strike a ball nowhere near the hole and ask Paige to come and help her with her swing. Emily wasn't trying to be subtle. And Paige definitely got the message.

On Wednesday and Thursday, they volunteered at a youth and family services center. They did a little bit of everything: Answering phones, stuffing envelopes, cleaning rooms and making beds. On the second day, they got to interact with some of the kids – talking and hanging out with them, mostly, but also participating in some of their outdoor activities and sports. Paige was having a blast with the kids, and acting like a big kid herself. Emily smiled to herself. She couldn't wait to see what kind of mom Paige would be.

"You weren't kidding," Paige said, "when you said that there are a lot of people who don't have it as nice as we do. It's good to keep that in perspective."

"I want our kids to be aware of that, too, when they grow up. It's easy to take things for granted."

* * *

The next stop was Little Rock, Arkansas. They pulled in on Sunday evening and got room service for dinner, neither one of them wanting to set out for a restaurant. Emily had planned a full day for Monday, but Paige had no idea what was in store. She was shocked when the GPS led them to an all-day spa and salon.

"I figured that we should pamper ourselves," Emily said nonchalantly. These were among the last words Paige had ever expected to hear from Emily's lips. Not that she objected. They both thoroughly enjoyed themselves and allowed themselves to relax. After getting their hair and nails done, they decided that they looked too good not to go out for a nice dinner. Even though neither of them had packed anything especially dressy, they didn't feel out of place at the upscale Italian bistro Emily selected. She still wasn't used to the concept of putting everything on Nick McCullers' tab, but she had decided to go along with Paige and enjoy the opportunity while they had it. "If you're trying to seduce me," Paige moaned over dinner, her foot finding its way up the inside of Emily's pants leg, "you're doing a good job!" Emily smiled and blew her a kiss.

It was almost poetic that they spent the next two days volunteering in a food pantry. "It's hard to think that some people dine like that every night when there are people eating like this every day," Emily pointed out the contrast with their dinner at the bistro.

* * *

The final stop on the tri-state tour was Shreveport, Louisiana. It was like visiting another country. The music, the culture, the names were not what Paige and Emily would've expected in the US. It was the South, but different even than that. They immersed themselves in it, adopting the "When in Rome" attitude. They took an hour-long cruise of the Red River in a boat that looked more like a floating RV. They lost some money in the casinos. They had an evening of booze and music at a zydeco bar. They handed out flyers and registered voters for an Equality committee. And they marked off the all-important X that took them to a total of 15 states.

Their journey had left them with a sense of fulfillment, accomplishment, and enlightenment. It had also left them weary. It was a long five hours back to Fort Hood. Paige wasn't satisfied. "I wish we could do a shotgun tour of the states. A different state every night. And I'm not just talking about the map." Emily looked at her skeptically. "Okay, I'm talking about the map, but not _just_ about the map. Wouldn't you like to push your body to the limit? See how far you can go on Red Bull and adrenaline?"

"I don't know, McCullers. It still sounds a whole lot as though you're talking about the map, to me!" Emily teased. "No, I get what you're saying. So, maybe next year, we do our five states in one week. Seven days, with a day to volunteer and a day to rest in the middle."

"A Mega-BLT! That sounds like a challenge, Fields!"

"And I know that you're always up for a challenge, McCullers!"


	9. The Wedding Planner

When Paige and Emily made it back to Rosewood, the wedding planning began in earnest. This was the mission of a lifetime for Hanna. She was going to be their wedding coordinator, of course. On the day itself, though, she would have to delegate her duties to Bridget Wu, as she herself would be otherwise occupied as Emily's Maid of Honor. Aria and Spencer were also going to stand with Emily. Vicki and Bob were in the wedding party as well. Pru was Paige's Maid of Honor, with Caleb and Spencer standing with her.

Paige made plans to drive home to shop for her wedding outfit with Pru, while Emily and Hanna went shopping for Emily's dress. "Why can't I come with you?" Emily asked. "I want to be a part of this decision, too!"

"Isn't it bad luck to see the bride dressed up before the wedding day?"

"It's only bad luck for the groom, Paige."

"Oh. So you're saying that I get to see you in your gown?"

"No way, McCullers! You only get to see me when I walk in for the ceremony!" Paige raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Okay, fine. But, at least tell me this: Are you going to wear a dress or a tux?"

"Yes, I will definitely be wearing a dress or a tux," Paige answered, earning a glare from Emily. She kissed Emily a kiss good-bye, telling her, "I haven't made that decision yet. But I promise you: When I do, you'll be the _last_ person to know!"

* * *

Paige was glad to have the weekend to spend with her best friend. Pru had been feeling a little alienated, jokingly complaining to Paige about the wedding's Rosewood bias. Pru had been there for Paige through a lot of difficult times, growing up with Nick McCullers - the old Ncik McCullers, in those rough years. She meant the world to Paige, and Paige was looking forward to their time together.

"So, what are we looking for, Paige? Are you thinking a nice gown or a suit?"

"I'm not sure, Pru. What do you think?"

"I never saw you as the frilly, sugar and spice and everything nice kind of gal."

"I know, but… Don't you think that my Dad would be disappointed? This isn't what he expected for his only daughter's wedding."

"Paige, you have to think about _you_ on your wedding day. I mean, yeah, you want to honor your family, but it's _your_ day. Your dad understands that. He might be disappointed that the day isn't the way that he dreamed it would be, but, I'm sure that, deep down, he just wants it to be the happiest day of your life."

Paige sighed. "I suppose you're right. Nothing over the top, though. I'm not trying to make a statement. I just want to complement Emily and feel comfortable."

* * *

"I think I may switch teams," Pru said over lunch. Their shopping hadn't taken nearly as long as Emily and Hanna's, so they were able to spend much of their "shopping" weekend reconnecting.

"Really," Paige said unconvinced.

"Yeah. I mean, you guys are so happy. Look at me. I haven't ever had a relationship that lasted more than three months."

Paige grabbed Pru's hand on top of the table. "I don't know why Emily and I were so lucky to have found each other so young. But I do know that you'll find the right person, Pru, when the time is right."

"How did you know that Emily was the one?"

"Oh, wow. I knew, like, really early on. I mean, we hadn't been dating for two months, and I knew that we were going to get married. I don't know how. I just remember thinking 'I'm going to marry her someday.' And I know that she knew it early on, too."

"That's... just amazing." Pru smiled, in spite of the funk that she was in.

"Do you want to know what's really weird, though?"

"What?"

"When we were roommates freshman year, before I even thought about her romantically - before I had any inkling that I could be in love with a woman, back when she was with Maya and I was with Sean? - I used to see her first thing in the morning, in her little robe, heading off to the shower, or I'd see her studying with her cup of coffee, or when she was taking off her make up at night - whatever. And I remember thinking, 'She's going to make an incredible wife for some lucky woman someday.' I was hoping that it wasn't Maya, but it never occurred to me that I would be that lucky woman. I mean, back then, it never occurred to me that I wouldn't be married to a guy."

"That's amazing, Paige. You should seriously tell that story at the rehearsal dinner." Paige smiled shyly into her coffee. "And, by the way," Pru added, getting up to hug Paige, "I hate you so much right now!"

* * *

Hanna had done up several sketches of ideas for Emily's gown. She talked through them with Emily over coffee, and they ultimately selected a base design which Hanna updated to suit Emily's desires. With that done, they set out across the bridge from Philadelphia to grab a quick lunch before hitting the bridal salons in South Jersey. Hanna cautioned Emily that, once she started trying on gowns, she might realize that what she chose wasn't really the look that she wanted - and that she might fall in love with something totally different. "Just don't rush into the decision. We've got plenty of time to make sure that we get it right."

Emily and Hanna's weekend, though packed, was only the beginning of the process of selection, fittings, and alterations. They were both exhausted by the time they got back to Rosewood. Hanna was reclining with her head in Emily's lap. There was a movie playing, but they weren't really watching.

"Remember when we used to have sleepovers, and we talked about how great it would be if you could sleep over when my parents were away, have this whole big house to ourselves? Well, guess what, girl? We're living the dream!"

"Yeah, but little did I know that you wanted it as your little lesbian love-nest!" Emily laughed a little too loud for Hanna's liking. "Em," Hanna said, sitting up slightly, "don't break my heart and tell me that you never thought of me that way!"

"I was too young to think of _anyone_ that way back then, Han. And, besides, when I started to think about girls - you were like a sister to me. It just would've been too weird."

"Oh. Okay." Hanna's response was low-key. "Well, I guess that's good to know. I always used to wonder why you never hit on me."

"Come on, Hanna! You were straight!"

"I know - but, you never even _tried_. Like, you never wanted to _experiment_ with me or anything."

"Hanna..."

"What? I'm just saying - if I had been gay, I would so have been hitting on you."

"Well, good thing you're straight, then. Because that would've been kind of creepy."

"Okay, Em, but, if we hadn't known each other? If we met in high school."

Emily breathed out a long sigh. "Yes, Hanna. Of course, I'd be interested."

Hanna sat up and hugged her. "Well, good. I only wish that I had known that back then."

"Anyway..." Emily had really had enough of this conversation.

"Anyway, it worked out pretty well for us. You found your girl and I found my guy."

"Yes, we did, Hanna. So, are you going to put a ring on it?" Emily teased.

Hanna sighed and thought it over. "I guess. Eventually. We haven't really talked about it, but... How did you know that Paige was the one?"

Emily laughed. "You know, Hanna, we weren't even dating at the time. It was that time when I came home at two in the morning crying over Maya, and Paige held me all night. I don't know, it was just that feeling that it was safe with her; that nothing could hurt me - could hurt us. Somehow, I just knew that she was my future."

"But you guys didn't even start dating for a while after that, though, right?"

"No. I knew that it wasn't time. I mean, she was still with Sean. She never gave any indication that she could have feelings for a woman."

"Yeah, I remember that call: 'How stupid am I, falling for a straight girl?'"

Emily smiled a little at the memory of that phone call, although it certainly wasn't funny to her at the time. "And, I guess I didn't want to get my hopes up, but, even so, I just _knew_. I mean, whenever I saw my future, Paige was there." Overcome with emotion at the memory and at where their story had led them, Emily felt tears straying down her cheeks. Hanna threw her arm around her as they sat on the couch, and Emily rested her head on her best friend's chest.

"You guys have such a great story. It gives me hope."

* * *

Paige and Emily selected a tasteful, calf-length Cardinal red dress for their bridesmaids. They wanted something that their friends might actually be able to wear after the wedding, not the typical, gaudy creations that bridesmaids have to wear so that they don't show up the bride.

The men would be in dark gray tuxedos, a nod to the Rosewood sharks. Pru would wear a simple dress in the same shade. Paige teased that they should have Toby come out in a shark outfit. Emily was puzzled. "Remember? The left shark from Katy Perry's halftime show our freshman year?"

"Oh, God. I can't believe that I forgot that! You only teased me about it for weeks afterwards!"

* * *

One of the more fun chores for Paige and Emily was setting up their registry. It started to get real to them that they were about to launch into a life together, with their own place settings, kitchen appliances, and home furnishings. They couldn't go too far over the top, though. They still hadn't settled what they would be doing once the school year started. Looking at grad schools was one of the agenda items for after the honeymoon.

* * *

Amid the flood of RSVP cards that came in, there was a typewritten envelope from Paige's mom. They had sent her an invitation, as promised, and she used the return address to reach out to her daughter. Emily was hesitant to give Paige the letter, having deduced from the return address whom it was from. She knew that Paige would have to see it, though.

Paige's hands were trembling with anger when Emily handed her the letter, so much so that she couldn't open it. Emily sat down beside her and opened the envelope for her. She took Paige's hand. "Do you want me to read it?" Paige nodded, looking away from her. Emily wrapped her arm around Paige's shoulder, pulling her in as she held the letter with both hands. Paige closed her eyes as Emily read:

"Dear Paige,

Thank you for inviting me to your wedding. That really means a lot to me.

It is very hard for me to write this letter. I want you to know what happened and why I left.

Paige, please understand that I was young, and people do stupid things when they're young. I can't excuse my choices, I know that. I want you to know that I realize that my choices were wrong.

I just felt trapped. I saw my future laid out in front of me as Nick McCullers' wife, and it seemed that I would never have a chance just to be who I was.

At just the wrong moment, a man came along, and it seemed like an escape; a way to have the freedom that I had been longing. It sounds foolish, now, and, of course, it didn't last. When we split up, I was so broken and damaged that it took years for me just to get my life back in order.

I know that I can't just walk back into your life, Paige. I want you to know that I love you, and I hope that, someday, we can rebuild our relationship.

Mom"

Paige didn't move. Emily rubbed her shoulder and kissed her on the head. She bent her head down to look into Paige's eyes for a clue. She saw hurt, anger, and resignation.

"So, it _was_ me," Paige said. "After all these years, after I managed convinced myself that it wasn't my fault, she tells me that she wanted her freedom. Didn't want to be trapped with a kid."

"Paige," Emily knew that she had to tread lightly. She didn't want to discount Paige's feelings, but she didn't want Paige to go back to blaming herself. "She didn't say that. She said she felt trapped being married to your dad."

"I know what she said, Em," Paige replied without emotion. "But she left for another man. Obviously, the being with a man part wasn't the problem. She wanted freedom from being a mom."

Emily just held her tighter.

"And it's all about her - she was trapped. She was broken. She had to fix herself. Why didn't she work on us - on the family? And now she wants to call herself my mom..."

Emily nodded and planted another kiss on Paige's head.

Paige stood up. "Good. I'm done with her. I got the answer that I wanted. Now, I can move on."

Emily stood up next to her, grabbing her hand. "Are you sure that you can, Paige?"

Paige looked at her, confused. "Have you ever talked with a counselor about any of this? I mean, you went through a huge trauma at a very vulnerable age. Do you think that you need to talk about it?"

Paige sighed and shook her head slowly. "I don't know. I don't think so. I - maybe someday. I just want to shut this door right now."

"Are you going to be okay if she says that she's going to come to the wedding?"

Paige hugged Emily long and hard. "Emily, nothing is going to ruin our wedding day. My love for you is stronger than any negative force out there."

"I know that, Paige. I know that you won't let anything ruin our day. I'm not worried about our wedding. I'm worried about _you_."

"I'm going to be fine. You're going to be there, so I'm going to be fine."

"Okay, Paige," Emily said, trying to keep a straight face, "and remember that I'm only asking this out of _love_..."

"What?"

"Do we need to cancel our kickboxing class this afternoon?" Paige cracked up. "Because I wouldn't want you to go off on some innocent sparring partner or punching bag!"

Paige pulled her in tight. "I thought that you liked it when I go into beast mode!"

"Yeah," Emily replied, sharply smacking Paige's ass, "I do! But save it for the bedroom!"

The sight of Paige, whenever they worked out together, always stirred things up for Emily. Kickboxing was no exception: The focus, the sheer power, the flexing of her muscles. It felt somewhat like a schoolgirl crush, the way that it left Emily feeling breathless and possessive. She didn't feel jealous really, but she definitely wanted everyone to know that Paige was with _her_. Paige didn't mind the clinginess. To be honest, she didn't recognize it for what it was. She just liked being on the receiving end of physical affection from Emily.

* * *

That night, Paige was surprisingly gentle in bed. Emily didn't mind, by any means, but she was a bit puzzled. Rather than try to stir up the beast in Paige, she just went with it and enjoyed the ride.

Paige took her time getting Emily worked up. Her kisses were slow and gentle, and it was a long time before they strayed beyond Emily's lips. Her hands were almost imperceptible against Emily's contours. Paige's body was so light atop her that Emily felt that she could easily swap their positions and top her. Maybe, she wondered, that was what Paige needed. She waited for Paige to give some sort of cue. This behavior was so unusual that, Emily knew, there had to be a reason behind it, and she didn't want to jump in and trample over whatever was going on inside Paige. She knew that it had been an emotional day for her.

Afterwards, as they lay facing each other, idly caressing, Paige asked softly, "You wouldn't feel trapped by children, would you?"

"Paige, that was a horrible thing for a mother to say to a child." Paige nodded weakly as she hugged Emily. "And I can't wait to have babies with you, Paige," Emily added with a kiss. "You're going to be a terrific mom."

* * *

The tasting was going well until Hanna noticed Paige giving the caterer the evil eye. "Is everything okay, Paige? Is the food okay?"

"No, the _food_ isn't the problem. That woman is," Paige replied, tilting her chin toward the caterer.

"Talia? She's a friend of Ezra's. He recommended her highly."

"I don't like the way that she keeps looking at Emily."

"Her? Paige, you're just being paranoid. She's like a thousand years older, plus she's _married_. Why would she be looking at Emily like that?"

"Sounds par for the course for one of Ezra's friends," Paige snarked.

"Listen, it's your day, yours and Emily's. If this is going to be a problem, I'll find somebody else. Do you want to talk to Emily about it?"

"Ugh. I don't know. I don't want to get her upset or make her think that I'm just being petty and jealous."

"Well, you can tell her that you don't like the food."

"Thanks, Hanna, but I don't want to start my marriage with a lie." Hanna nodded in understanding. "I trust Emily, of course." Paige was defending her motives, even though Hanna hadn't questioned them. "I just don't want to spend the whole reception worrying that the caterer is leering at my wife."

"What about the catering?" Emily said as she walked up and put her arm around Paige's waist with a smile. Paige was too stunned to speak.

"The _caterer_ ," Hanna corrected. "Paige thinks that she's staring at you inappropriately."

"Well, there are plenty of caterers, Babe. If this one's a problem, I'm sure that Hanna can find another one. Right, Hanna?"

"Absolutely! Just say the word!"

"You'd be okay with that, Em?"

"Of course," Emily said with a kiss. "More than anything else, I want you to be happy."

Hanna took out a pencil and crossed out Talia's name. "Bye bye, Talia! I'll set up another tasting for Thursday!"

* * *

"So, I was thinking," Paige offered, "Australia for our honeymoon."

"Oh, yeah," Emily oozed sarcastically, "24 hours in planes and airports with you. That's how I want to start my marriage."

"Well, we could break it up. Fly out to LAX after our wedding and spend our first night together as wives, then go to Honolulu for a couple of days or a week..."

"And cross Hawaii off of our list..."

"If that happens, it's a bonus," Paige said, acting innocent. "Then, we could head off to Sydney..."

"Start crossing continents off of our list..."

"Yeah! And we could take a trip to New Zealand. Did you know that they consider themselves part of Antarctica?"

"So, we'd get one state, two countries, and two continents out of this deal."

"Uh huh," Paige enthused. "But, so - what were you thinking?"

"Oh, I was thinking romantic. Fly to New York City for our first night, then off to Paris, Rome, Venice, Athens. Only one continent, but we'd get to put three pins in our map!"

"Four, if we squeeze in Madrid."

"Why stop there? We might as well go down to Casablanca, and knock Africa off the list."

"Or stretch it out on the other side - go to Turkey and cross of Asia."

"I'm kind of liking the idea of Australia, though," Emily admitted. "I mean, Europe's always going to be there. We might not get another chance at Australia for a while."

"Plus, it's summer Down Under. I'm not so sure that we want to do Europe in winter."

"Good point, McCullers! Australia it is!"


	10. Mrs. and Mrs.

"You know, some couples do this thing where they sleep apart the night before the wedding," Emily said, as she grabbed her bag to head out for the rehearsal. "One of them stays in a hotel room."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. Bad luck? To keep up appearances?"

"Yeah, we're not doing that," Paige said with authority.

"I know, right?"

"I do think, though," Paige said, stopping in her tracks, "that we shouldn't sleep together tonight."

"Oh, yeah? You actually thought that you had a shot at getting some of this tonight?" Emily joked.

"No, I'm serious, Em." Emily couldn't stifle her laughter. "What?" Paige asked, a little annoyed.

"Oh, come on, Paige," she responded, her voice deep and loud. "We both know how this is going down tonight."

"Oh really, Emily? Why don't you tell me, then? How is it going down?" Paige was smiling in anticipation of being able to prove her fiancée wrong.

"Well, we're going to go to the rehearsal, and you're going to get all emotional when you see our family and friends and the church. Then, at the dinner, everyone's going to roast us, and you're going to remember how we first met, and think how special the night is, and anticipate how great tomorrow is going to be, and you're going to feel so close to me, and the wine's going to have you feeling a little romantic, and you won't be able to keep your hands and legs off of me under the table, and you'll be all cuddly in the car, and you'll hold me just a little bit tighter when we get to bed, and you'll start kissing that spot on my neck. I mean, it's not as if this doesn't happen every single time that we celebrate something special."

Paige rolled her eyes, a little frightened at how precisely Emily was able to predict the future. "All right, then!" she said, upbeat. "Let's get it over with!" She gave Emily a kiss and held open the door for her.

* * *

Things went pretty much the way that Emily had predicted that they would during the rehearsal. Only the final outcome was different. Paige held her so close in bed that night. "I want you so much right now, Emily, but I really want the next time that we sleep together to be after our wedding."

Emily smiled. "We can wait." She rolled over and kissed Paige. "It'll be special. It's sweet."

"Oh, fuck. I _really_ want you, Emily." Paige returned the kiss. "But, yeah. Let's wait." She gave Emily a deep, passionate, lingering kiss. Emily rolled over again. She could feel Paige's body jittering and hear the low, rumbling moan of desire that Paige was trying desperately to quell. Soon, she felt Paige's lips, moist on the back of her neck.

Emily rolled over again. "Are you seriously telling me that you don't you want to make love to me on your last night as a free woman?" she asked seductively as she teased her finger between Paige's breasts and down her torso.

Paige didn't need much convincing. She nodded vigorously. Her legs were quivering on their own. It was as if her whole body were nodding in agreement.

"So, let's get this bachelorette party turnt up!" Emily shrieked.

"Mmm… you going to dance for me, Emily?"

"Yeah? You want a lap dance?" Paige gulped. "Okay. Put this on." She handed Paige a robe. "And close your eyes." Paige sat up and put on the robe. She closed her eyes, still unable to stop her legs from bouncing up and down. She heard a rustling in the closet, and then she heard a drawer open and close. A few moments later, she heard "Toxic" through the Bluetooth speakers and she opened her eyes to see Emily in ripped cut-off jeans and a button-down shirt that was tied off at the waist. Emily mouthed the words as she danced sensually over to Paige, teasing her fingers across Paige's face, over the front of her chest, and through her own hair before she turned her back to Paige and brushed her hips across Paige's lap, her hands sliding down from her own breasts to the pockets of her cut-offs as her hips rocked from side to side.

She turned around again, leaning her face in so that her lips were impossibly close to Paige's as her fingers made circles just grazing the fabric covering Paige's nipples. She put her hand behind Paige's neck and bucked her hips once, then twice before she sat on Paige's lap, still mouthing the lyrics as she ran her index finger down the open space between the collars of Paige's robe. Paige was sitting on her hands to keep herself from grabbing her fiancée and putting a quick end to the slow seduction.

Emily could feel the heat where she was sitting on Paige's lap. She was sure that Paige could feel the wetness at the base of her cut-offs. She fisted both hands into Paige's hair and began kissing her deeply, still rocking her hips to the beat of the music. Soon, Paige's hands appeared, grabbing at the moving target that Emily's ass was creating and hanging on for the ride.

Emily pushed Paige back onto the bed and, seated on her hips, undid the belt on her robe. She lowered her lips onto Paige's neck and placed wet kisses on its perimeter, careful not to leave any marks that might show under whatever garment Paige had chosen for their wedding day. She was caressing Paige's breasts and bucking her hips into Paige's center, and the sounds that Paige was making were fueling Emily's desire.

Paige was trying desperately to get Emily's shorts off of her. Emily finally stood and, with a flourish, dropped them to the ground, right on the beat. She straddled Paige again, but Paige put her arm around her back and flipped her down on the bed, lying on top of her. Emily laughed in anticipation, running her hands through Paige's hair as Paige's head worked its way down her body.

It was on.

* * *

Paige and Emily both overslept on the morning of their wedding and were scrambling to get showered before their rides, "Pru and Wu" showed up to drive them to their hair and make-up appointments. Hanna had arranged a separate salon for Emily and her bridesmaids, on opposite sides of town, to minimize the chances that they would see each other before Emily walked down the aisle. Hanna, Spencer, and Aria were already in their chairs. The mood was festive. The girls cheered and toasted with imaginary glasses as Emily walked through the door.

Emily was strangely calm. She was glad that her three best friends were there together with her, on the cusp of her major life event. She threw a fist into the air, threw her head back, and let out a triumphant, "Whoo!"

Nothing had ever felt so right in her life: The woman she loved, the friends she loved, the family she loved, all together for what was to be the perfect day.

* * *

Pru was being typical Pru, asking Paige whether or not she was sure that she wanted to go through with this, telling her that she didn't have to get married just because she had gotten Emily "knocked up." It was just what Paige needed to distract her from her nerves. She wasn't nervous about marrying Emily. That was a dream come true. She was nervous about screwing up the ceremony. She never felt nervous before a swim meet, because she practiced so assiduously that it all fell down to muscle memory when the time came to compete.

It seemed ridiculous, by comparison, to expect her to go into the biggest day of her life after only one rehearsal. Not to mention that, as soon as she saw Emily in her gown, she knew that her brain was going to turn to mush.

* * *

The chapel was filling up with people. Emily was keeping an eye on things by watching the monitor that was in her preparation room. Her other eye was on the clock. Emily was determined not to have one of those weddings that didn't start on time and ended up making everybody wait.

The second hand seemed as slow as the minute hand should be. She couldn't wait for it to be that time, already.

Finally, the music changed, the runner was spread down the aisle, and Spencer's twin niece and nephew began sprinkling petals down its length. Emily switched off the monitor, wanting to get the full impact of Paige's attire when she saw it in person, rather than seeing it on the small screen first. Emily's foot began tapping with anticipation until she finally heard the knock on the door. She gathered up her train and her courage and went out to make her entrance.

Emily wanted to enjoy every moment. Instead of walking down the aisle like a robot, she looked around at the chapel and at those who were gathered in its pews, nodding and smiling to her family and friends.

And then she saw Paige.

Paige was standing with her attendants, wearing a feminine cut, double-breasted tuxedo in black, with a pale blue shirt and white tie. Emily lost track of the music, the crowd, and her footing. She stumbled a bit on her father's arm as her eyes locked on her fiancée.

Paige had been smiling, but when Emily entered, it switched to gawking. At that moment, Paige couldn't believe her luck. Emily looked like a work of art; a masterpiece that had been sculpted just to wear that wedding dress: A white gown that was form-fitting to the waist and flared out dramatically below it. The top ended at the bust, with a lightly beaded illusion neckline on top. Paige had yet to see how deep the gown plunged beneath the sheer netting in the back.

Emily kissed her father on the cheek, and he handed her off to her bride. Paige took Emily's hand in hers, and they approached the altar. She was amazed at how good it felt, even after all this time together, just to hold Emily's hand. The softness, warmth, and smoothness of Emily's skin was calming. It anchored Paige in all of her nervousness.

The ceremony was intimate and personal. Aria read a poem that she had written for the occasion. Spencer taught herself just enough piano to play a slow version of Bob Marley's "One Love." Hanna and Pru read the story of Paige and Emily's relationship, as told by Dr. Seuss. And Fred and Gloria sang their duet.

When Paige's father and Emily's parents lit the unity candle, Paige looked over toward her mother, who was sitting impassively in the rear of the church. Emily sensed where Paige's eyes were focused, and she furrowed her eyebrows, to ask whether Paige was okay. Paige gave her hand a slight squeeze. Nothing could take away the joy that she felt at that moment.

When Paige heard the words, "Brides, you may now kiss," she thought back to their first kiss, the night when she had inadvertently confessed her feelings for Emily. That first kiss had been simple; A welcome home. This first kiss was also welcome home, but more than that, it was a welcome home to a totally new world. As was true of their first _first kiss_ , for this first kiss, "simple" was sufficient.

* * *

Emily was elated that the Christmas snow was still fresh on the ground. She insisted on taking some of their pictures outside, huddling into Paige for warmth between shots. Despite Fred and Gloria's reluctance, the brides wanted them included with the family shots. Paige and Emily refused to take no for an answer.

The impromptu snowball fight between the male and female attendants made for some good candid shots, although it was a dry cleaner's nightmare. Emily might have joined in - and she would definitely have been making snow angels - were it not for her wedding dress.

The reception was a whirlwind of toasts, clinked glasses prompting the newlyweds to kiss, and dances. Their first dance as married women was to OneRepublic's "If I Lose Myself." Paige whispered into Paige's ears throughout. Emily smiled broadly. Occasionally, they kissed. Emily laid her head on Paige's shoulder, completely at peace. Paige smiled down at her, content. First Wayne, then Nick cut in to dance a few turns with their daughters before letting them get back to each other as the dance area filled up around them.

At the end of the evening, they found themselves in the back of a limousine on the way to Philadelphia with the privacy screen up. There was no urgency to their kissing. They were relaxed, taking their time and enjoying each other. They had all the time in the world.

They spent that first night in a small, intimate hotel in Philadelphia. Paige had long envisioned carrying Emily over the threshold, but, when the moment came, it seemed a bit foolish - as if she were carrying her prey, the spoils of war, or some nonsense like that. They walked through the door of their suite as they had begun their walk through married life: Hand in hand. Together. Kissing.

Emily grabbed her overnight bag from the luggage cart and excused herself to the bedroom. Paige tipped the porter and loosened her tie. She sat on the couch like a overwhelmed teenager on prom night. Everything felt new, even her nerves. She noticed her hands shaking when Emily called her into the bedroom to unzip her wedding dress. Emily gave her a kiss as she held those shaky hands. Then, with a giggle, she pushed Paige out of the bedroom and locked the door.

Emily reappeared in a black lace teddy, and Paige rose to her feet, advancing toward her wife in the doorway of the bedroom. She had removed her jacket, but she was still overdressed. Emily soon saw to that. This was one of Paige's favorite things: Emily undressing her like a historian opening a newly discovered and rare manuscript: Slowly, delightedly, with eyes full of anticipation. With the last buttons on the front of Paige's shirt undone, Emily unbuttoned the sleeves and pulled the shirt's tail out of Paige's slacks, pushing the garment off of Paige's shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. Paige was wearing a sheer bra, a shade or two paler than her shirt, and, through it, Emily could see the outline of something different on Paige's nipple. Her eyebrows furrowed as she pushed the cups out of the way to reveal, instead of the cupid's heart charm, a barbell nipple ring, with small anchor dangling from a small chain that was secured to each end. Emily smiled up at Paige. "I thought that I should have _something_ to surprise you," Paige explained. Emily grinned and, cupping Paige's breast around the jewelry, she tiptoed up for a long, passionate kiss. "You anchor me, Emily," Paige told her, when their lips parted. Emily nodded with understanding and put her free hand behind Paige's neck, drawing her back in for another kiss. She freed Paige's hair from the brooch that it had been gathered in. Paige swished her head lightly, allowing her hair to descend in curtains around the two of them.

Emily moved her right hand down from Paige's breast, setting about undoing the clip on Paige's slacks. Once she had created some space there, she began caressing Paige's stomach and sides, occasionally allowing her hand to slip inside Paige's underwear. She reveled in the reverberations as Paige moaned into her mouth. Paige couldn't help leaning further and further into the kiss, almost tipping Emily over until Emily, releasing Paige's slacks and letting them drop to the floor, eased Paige over to the bed. The bed was plush, and Emily let out a shriek in surprise as they sank down into it, side by side. Paige sat up slightly, pulling Emily on top of her and renewing the kiss. She lay down, taking Emily with her, her hands roaming in circles over Emily's back. Emily pulled away slightly and Paige opened her eyes to find Emily looking down at her as a painter might look at his newly completed masterpiece. Emily's eyes were full of fire and pure desire. Emily stood up just long enough to drop her teddy to the floor next to Paige's slacks.

Looking up at her, Paige understood for the first time what true love was. She and Emily were one. Till the end of time, they would walk together, laugh together, cry together, be together. She was overcome with emotion. She pulled Emily in tight, as if she could make their bodies one, in the same way that their souls were one. Emily dropped back to her spot atop Paige, smiling giddily. "We're fucking MARRIED!"

Emily placed slow, wet kisses in a line down Paige's torso, nibbling at the flesh as she went. Paige raised her hips when she felt Emily tug at her panties, sitting up and parting her legs with her hand atop Emily's head as it bobbed back and forth. Paige was leaning back on her other arm. Her head was back and she was biting her lips as the occasional unintelligible noise escaped her throat. Emily's hair was tickling her thighs, and her hands were grazing her nipples, electrifying them. Paige didn't know how much more stimulation she could handle. She was surprised when Emily managed to get one, then two fingers inside her, her mouth moving to suck and lick her clit.

It didn't take long.

Emily held her wife's shuddering body , lightly caressing her sides until her breathing evened out. Paige lay there, still. Emily looked up at her, puzzled, and saw that her eyes were closed and her nostrils were flaring slightly with each breath. _Damn, I'm good!_ she chuckled to herself. She slid next to Paige and smoothed the hair away from her face, depositing a tender kiss on her forehead. As she did, Paige let out a yell, grabbing her surprised bride around the back and rolling over on top of her, laughing hysterically. Emily's heart was beating out of her chest as she smacked Paige's shoulder repeatedly. "Not cool!" she chided, trying to keep the grin off of her face.

"I told you that I had some surprises in store for you, Emily!"

"Well," Emily said, her smile stretched wide, "that had better be the last one!"

"I'm sorry," Paige said, taking both of Emily's hands and pulling them over her head as she kissed from her ear down her jawline. "Let me make it up to you." As the kisses and gentle bites continued, Emily found herself squirming beneath the weight of Paige's body, parting her legs and squeezing them around Paige's thigh.

Paige kept one hand around Emily's hands, securing them behind her head. With the other, she gently stroked Emily's earlobe, moving her lips in its place as her hand slid down to caress Emily's neck. Paige began whispering in Emily's ear, telling her how perfect she looked in her wedding gown, but that it didn't compare with the sight of her emerging from the bathroom in her lacy teddy; saying how much she loved the feel of Emily's skin against hers, and that the brush of Emily's hair inside her thighs drove her mad with desire. Her words, in turn, were driving Emily mad, and the light grazing of her lips on Emily's ear was sending chills down the back of Emily's neck. Just when she thought, _If she doesn't kiss me right now, I'm going to explode_ , Paige captured her earlobe between her lips and licked lightly. The tickling sensation made Emily twist her neck, and, when she did, Paige gave her the kiss that she had longed for, her body still moving in time with Emily's undulations underneath her. Paige smoothed her hands down Emily's sides, and Emily's hands, now released from behind her head, roamed all over Paige's body, grabbing and pinching her flesh from the back of her shoulders to the top of her thighs. Her hands finally landed firmly on Paige's ass, and she pushed Paige's thrusts deeper into her. Paige lowered her body a little, moving the kissed down her neck, ending at her breasts, as she found Emily's clit with one hand. Emily's nails dug into Paige's ass, sparking something inside Paige that shot her into a higher gear. She was gasping. Emily was moaning. Emily's head flipped from side to side on the bed as her orgasm exploded. Their bodies continued spasming into one another even after the fireworks ended. Emily let out a high-pitched yelp with each aftershock that washed over her.

They crumpled into each other, sweaty and exhausted.

Somewhere in the night, Emily woke up and had the presence of mind to find her phone to set an alarm for the morning. She was sure that they wouldn't need it - their flight was in the early afternoon - but she didn't want to risk a rushed, grumpy Paige in the morning. "Happy wife, happy life," she thought, the realization that she had a wife thrilling her anew.


	11. The Honeymoon Part I: Headed West

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Things are about to get pretty suggestive, if not downright smutty, on the Paily honeymoon. Overall, this story isn't about smut, but it's their honeymoon, so let's let them enjoy it.
> 
> Apologies to anyone who doesn't like smut. I promise that things will get back to normal once they get back to Rosewood.

In the morning, Hanna met them at the hotel to take them to the airport and take their wedding clothes to the dry cleaners.

"So, how's married life?" she asked them, looking in the rear view mirror to see how Paige would respond.

"You know," Paige said, pausing to think how to put words to what she was feeling, "I didn't think that it would feel any different, because we've been together for so long, but it actually does feel different. Shiny and new. I don't know. Don't you think, Em?"

"Oh yeah. It definitely feels different. I mean, we've known that we were permanent since almost the beginning, so it's not about that. It's not about a piece of paper or some rings – or making it "legal." There's just something about having your family and your best friends all together to celebrate who you are as a couple; to declare your commitment in the presence of the people who mean the most to you, and to have their affirmation."

"Well, that's actually kind of beautiful," Hanna teased, "but I was asking about your married sex!"

* * *

After they said their good-byes to Hanna and headed into the terminal, Paige commented, "I'm surprised that you didn't tell Hanna about my new nipple ring." Emily smiled. A moment or two later, Paige thought out loud, "Wait, _you_ didn't tell her, did you?"

Emily shook her head. "Ooh – you didn't forget to take it off, did you?" Before she could think about what she was doing, Emily reached out to check, forgetting for a moment that they were very much in public. A red-faced Paige eased her hand away and assured her that the jewelry was safely stowed away.

It was a little more congested than normal at the airport, with the first wave of holiday travelers starting to trickle back home. It was still before New Year's Day, though, so the crowds could have been much worse. Paige and Emily were just praying for good weather in Philadelphia and Denver so that their flights didn't get delayed or canceled.

They were holding hands. And kissing occasionally. For some reason, they didn't care who was around or what people might think. It felt liberating. They would get the occasional stare and shy smile from people who seemed proud that they would have a story to tell back home: "Went to Philadelphia. Saw actual out-of-the-closet homosexual women in action!" They took it in stride, Emily with a smile, and Paige with an eye roll. Emily took her thumb and pushed Paige's furrowed eyebrows apart. "You're going to get a permanent wrinkle up there!" she cautioned.

As they sat and waited at the gate, Paige and Emily engaged in one of their new favorite pastimes: Interlocking the fingers of their left hands, stretching them out in front of them, and gazing at the three rings. Emily wrapped her arm around Paige's bicep and held on with her other arm. Every time that she thought that life couldn't get any better, it managed to prove her wrong. She laid her head on Paige's shoulder and sighed in contentment. Paige smiled down at the sight and kissed Emily on the top of her head. Without thinking about it, Emily looked up at Paige and found her lips. Once she found them, she couldn't let go. Paige cleared her throat when she remembered that they were in a very public place. Emily pouted and rested her head on Paige's shoulder again, lightly rubbing up and down Paige's arm.

* * *

"This isn't so bad, is it?" Paige half worried as she and Emily rode the moving walkway between gates in Denver.

Emily sighed. "No, not that bad. I'm so glad that we didn't try to do it all in one day."

"You hungry?"

"Yeah – those airplane pretzels didn't quite do it for me," she smiled. "I don't think that we have time to grab anything before we board, though, do you?"

"No, not a meal, but we can probably pick up a couple of overpriced energy bars at one of the newsstands."

"I hope Fred and Gloria made it back okay."

"Yeah – I was kind of thinking that we'd run into them at the airport. We always seem to run into them when we're flying."

"Our guardian angels," Emily laughed. She yawned and put a sleepy head on Paige's shoulder for a second before they had to jump off of the people-mover. "Too bad we couldn't fly through San José. It would've been nice to see them," she continued.

"If they're even back yet. I got the impression that they were going to spend a little bit of time in Philly while they were out there."

Emily nodded. "Maybe on the way back, though, we can switch our flights and go through San Francisco. We could spend a couple of days with them, if they're up for it."

"And you know that they will be," Paige laughed. "They'll want to hear all about the honeymoon."

"Hey – guess what, Paige!" Emily grabbed Paige's arms in excitement at the realization.

"What?" Paige smiled, picking up Emily's energy.

"Next time we go to visit my parents, I'm not sleeping on the couch!"

* * *

Paige got Emily situated with their carry-ons in the gate area and went off in search of some energy bars. She picked up water while she was at it. "We may have to cut our vacation short a couple of days," she told Emily sarcastically, "since I blew all of our travel fund on food and water!"

They were both exhausted from their day of travel, so the flight was a little low key. When they were sleepy, they reverted to type. Paige was slightly on edge, and Emily was feeling silly. The slightest thing would set her off. Even Paige's grumpy mannerisms were sending her into giggle fits. Finally realizing that she couldn't rein her in, Paige pulled Emily's head onto her shoulder to try to get her to nap. It took a while for Emily to settle down, but, in the end, the comfort of Paige's shoulder won out.

They took the shuttle to their hotel and ordered room service, too tired to venture out. They sat with the curtains open, the city's skyline making a beautiful backdrop for their dinner. They had about 10 hours to rest before they had to get ready to head to the airport again. The tub in the bathroom was more than large enough to accommodate both of them, and they relaxed in it, Paige reclining behind Emily, until the water started to cool. Emily shivered up out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towel. She retrieved another one and held it out for Paige, patting her dry. They pulled on some pajamas and trundled off to bed.

"So," Emily intoned, not bothering to turn around to look at Paige, who was lying behind her.

"Hmm?"

"So, two nights of marriage, and the sexy times are already over?" she teased.

Paige laughed and tightened her grip around her wife. They both knew that they too tired for anything beyond cuddling.

"Shit, Em!" Paige exclaimed.

"What?" Emily was intrigued about what it was that had her wife smiling like that.

"We're fucking _married_!"

"I know, right?"

"I get to call you my wife, now!"

"Yeah - first it was 'roommate,' then 'girlfriend,' then 'fiancée', and now 'wife.'"

Paige laughed, squeezing Emily. "Well, I used to love hearing you refer to me as your girlfriend, but that's nothing compared to how cool it feels to hear you call me your wife!"

* * *

The shuttle driver for the ride back to the airport in the morning was in a talkative mood. He asked where they were headed, and, when they told him that LA was a stopover on their honeymoon, his talkativeness faded a bit. "So, you two are married? Like, to each other?"

"Yes," Paige responded, as though she were explaining marriage to a child.

"Well, I guess they do that," he said flatly. Paige and Emily were a little surprised to get this reaction in a large city, especially in Southern California.

"Haven't come across a lot of same-sex couples, _Otis_?" Paige inquired, deliberately emphasizing the name that she read from his badge.

"Well, no, but I haven't been out here very long."

"Well, I think that you've got a few surprises in store," Emily said, hiding her sarcasm.

When they arrived at the airport, Otis helped them with their bags and wished them a wonderful honeymoon, apparently remembering that they were the ones who were going to give him his tip. As Paige told Emily, he was willing to tolerate the rainbow, as long as there was green involved.

* * *

Emily got up to stretch her legs, pulling Paige by the hand over to the huge windows to watch the planes take off and land. Finally, one taxied to their gate, and, not long after, the boarding process began. They settled into their seats next to a young lady who appeared to be about the same age as them. Emily took the middle, and Paige took the aisle.

"So," Emily asked, pulling out a travel guide, "what are you looking forward to doing in Hawaii?"

"Seeing you in a bikini on the beach."

Emily snickered. "Gosh, Paige – you're such a cornball!"

Paige leaned in. "Yeah? You would be, too, if you had a beautiful, sexy wife like mine."

"Oh, I do, Paige, I do!"

"You already said that – in the church, remember?" Out of the corner of her eye, Paige caught the woman in the window seat shaking her head and smiling to herself at their cheesiness. Paige dipped her head. "Sorry – newlyweds," she said with a shy smile, as if that word explained everything.

Emily remembered her manners. Looking over, she introduced them. "Hi – I'm Emily, and this is my wife, Paige. I promise that we won't be this cheesy the whole time!"

"Oh, that's all right! Be as cheesy as you like! I'm getting married this spring, and I'm sure that my husband and I will be just as cheesy. My name's Pat, by the way."

Pat was going back to University of Hawaii to finish her senior year. "Surfing scholarship?" Paige joked.

"Actually, yes," Pat said with a straight face, before confessing that she was really in the nursing program.

"Why University of Hawaii?"

"Because it's in Honolulu! I mean, that's pretty obvious!" Pat grabbed Emily's forearm and laughed. "No, but, seriously – when I looked at options for nursing school, I mean – who wouldn't want to study in paradise?"

"Good point!" Paige agreed. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"Do you have family in Hawaii?" Pat asked Emily.

"None that I know of…"

"Oh. No offense, you just look as if you could be from there."

"My Mom's family is from the Philippines, so – Pacific Islander, I guess."

There was a lull in the conversation, so Paige asked, "If you had only two days in Honolulu, what would you do?"

"On my honeymoon? I probably wouldn't leave my hotel room!"

"I know, right?" Paige chuckled. "She's not going to be able to walk!" she added, poking Emily in the ribs. Emily's mouth flew wide open as she turned slowly to face Paige. "Uh oh. I'm going to pay for that comment later!"

"Oh yes, you are," Emily droned seductively, then turned to Pat. "Oh, sorry! I promised that we weren't going to be like that for the rest of the trip!"

"So, why only two days in Hawaii?"

Emily explained where they were headed and why they were breaking up the trip. "This one gets grumpy if she spends too much time in planes and airports!" Paige shrugged and smiled, acknowledging the truth.

"Let me guess – you want to visit all seven continents!"

"Bucket list!" Paige confirmed.

* * *

"Oh, Paige!" Emily exclaimed, grabbing her wife's arm as green islands appeared out of the expanse of blue seas. Pat leaned back to give them a better view out of the window. "It's absolutely beautiful!" Paige adored the childlike wonder that Emily had for the beauties of nature. She squeezed Emily's hands and watched her as she took everything in. To Paige, the wonderment on Emily's face was much more amazing than any view.

* * *

"This is new," Paige commented approvingly, looking at the sarong covering the lower half of a bikini that she had never seen before.

"You're not the only one with surprises, Babe!" Emily said, tapping her on the cheek and leaning in for a quick kiss.

"Shit, Emily!" Paige whined.

"What?"

"Now, I don't feel like leaving the room!"

"Well, look at it this way. " Emily moved in closer, locking her hands behind Paige's neck. "Don't you want me to take a long walk down the beach with you and find a nice secluded spot where we can lie out in the sun and I can rub lotion into your back? Then, if we get too hot, we can take a dip in the ocean... When the sun starts to go down, you can wrap your arm around me and walk me back to the hotel where we can wash all the sand and the sea off of ourselves, and you can take me to bed feeling all fresh and new?"

Paige smiled giddily and nodded. Emily had her at "Don't you want me."

* * *

The trip to the beach didn't go quite the way that Emily had painted it. They walked along the sand, but it was more crowded than they had hoped, so their secluded spot turned out to be anything but. Emily did put suntan lotion on Paige's back, and no one around them seemed to mind when Paige, moved by Emily's gentle and playful touch, rolled over and pulled Emily in for a kiss. As the kiss got longer, Emily got self-conscious and ran out to the ocean, with Paige trailing behind her. Emily playfully splashed her and swam away, daring Paige to capture her. She did, and she pulled her under with her, hugging her underneath the salty water, unable to resist enjoying her curves before they came up for air. Emily cupped Paige's cheek and leaned in to rub noses with her, a wide smile on her face. Paige's arms were still wrapped around Emily's waist, and she really wished that _someone_ was there to capture that moment in a photograph. She kissed Emily, and Emily reached her arms around her neck as she returned the kiss. She was too happy in love to worry about what anybody around them thought.

It didn't take long, though, for her body to start craving contact that was definitely only appropriate behind closed doors. Paige sensed it as well. They quickly gathered their belongings and headed back to the hotel room. Once they got there, Emily called out, "Dibs on the bathroom!" and rushed past Paige, locking the door behind her. Paige just lay on the bed, her feet on the floor, and a confused smile on her face. After a few minutes, Emily emerged, holding a towel around herself. "I saved you some hot water, but not a lot. So, don't take forever," she teased. Paige grabbed her and gave her an intense kiss before she took her turn in the shower.

When she turned the water off, she could have sworn that she heard Hawaiian music playing outside. She poked her head out from behind the bathroom to see Emily, wearing only a towel on her lower half and a lei around her neck, dancing an improvised hula to the music coming out of her phone. Paige leered at her, smiling widely. It would have been a hilarious sight if Emily weren't so damned sexy - and if Paige weren't so damned horny.

The way that Emily's hips were swaying slowly from side to side, and the effect that the movement had on the lei, swishing it across Emily's increasingly erect nipples, had Paige in a trance. She couldn't take it for long. Before the dance was half over, she let her towel drop to the floor, and bolted over to Emily, whom she practically tackled onto the bed, whipping the towel off of Emily's hips in one smooth motion. Paige's hands became a blur as they ranged over the length of Emily's body. Emily was laughing uncontrollably. It was so easy to push Paige's buttons, and there were few things that Emily enjoyed more in life than Paige with her buttons pushed.

* * *

Emily lay idly twiddling the chain and anchor in Paige's nipple piercing as they rested next to each other. "Did you ever think about getting the other one pierced?" she asked.

"No, not really," Paige answered, somewhat breathlessly. "Why? Do you think that I should?"

Emily laughed. "I was just thinking that it would be nice to have something to play with on those nights when I'm lying on the _other_ side of you," she explained.

"Uh huh," Paige groaned. "So that's what it's come to? And what about when we have kids? - Or were you planning to do all of the breastfeeding." Emily poked her head up and quirked her eyebrows. "Okay, this conversation just got a little bit strange."

Emily relaxed back under Paige's arms and began toying with the tiny anchor again. After a few moments, Paige brushed Emily's hand away with both of hers. "All right, you know what, Emily? I'm going to have to ask you to stop doing that, unless you're ready to go for Round 2 with me." Emily got a devilish smile on her face. She stared Paige straight in the eye as she slid on top of her and, in an exaggerated motion, resumed teasing the anchor that was hanging from Paige's now-hardened nipple.

She was most definitely ready for Round 2.


	12. The Honeymoon Part II: A Very LONG Flight

"So," Emily said, walking up to Paige and putting her arms around her neck, "this is going to be the real test of our marriage." Paige rolled her eyes. She knew that Emily was teasing, but she was in no mood to be teased. "If we can handle nine hours in a confined space without killing each other, we'll know that we can handle anything." Paige lifted Emily's hands off of her shoulders and walked away.

 _Oh shit!_ This wasn't working out the way Emily had hoped. She was hoping to use humor to defuse the situation, because she really was worried about their dynamics on long trips when they're under stress. She knew that Paige didn't like to be teased about her moods, and that's why she used "we" instead of "you." She had to do something quickly before the whole day was lost – and maybe the next two days as well.

She went with the first thing that came to mind, without really thinking it through. She put her hand on Paige's shoulder, and when Paige turned around, looking annoyed, Emily ambushed her with a deep, intense kiss. Whenever Paige tried to pull away, at first to protest; later, to breathe, Emily just pulled her back in tighter, until she felt Paige's knees start to buckle slightly. She backed Paige up to the wall, still exploring the inner depths of Paige's mouth with her tongue. She put her arm under Paige's thigh and lifted her leg off the ground and began slowly grinding herself into Paige. When she was satisfied with that she had apologized adequately, she sat on the bed, her legs crossed in front of her, smiling innocently up at Paige.

Paige slumped slowly to the ground and started fanning herself. When she finally regained a bit of composure, she walked over and sat next to Emily on the bed, tucking her right foot beneath her left leg. Emily made a point of laughing before she tried the question again "Okay, so do you think that we can make it through nine hours on this thing without killing each other?"

Paige collapsed into her wife. "Too late, Em. I'm already dead." A wave of relief crashed over Emily. She had managed, somehow, to express her fears to Paige and to get her back into a good mood. She knew that they were going to have to work on their communication skills. Even after five years together, they still had a long way to go. For now, though, she was just happy that their day hadn't gotten off on the wrong foot.

"But, you know," _Oh. Paige was still talking._ "These guys fly this route every day. I'm sure that they're pretty good at keeping their passengers diverted."

Emily sighed. "Oh, Paige. I wish that you could _really_ keep me diverted on this trip," she purred suggestively.

* * *

When they left the ticket counter, Emily was puzzled. "Why do we have three seats?"

"Surprise!" Paige smiled. "My dad sprang for 'Cuddle Class!'"

"Cuddle class?" Emily laughed. "What's that?" As they waited in line at security, Paige pulled out her phone and showed Emily Air New Zealand's YouTube video of their Sky Couch service: Three coach seats that could be extended to form something of a couch. It was aimed at couples and small families traveling together, but it had been nicknamed cuddle class because it gave couples the change to stretch out and nap next to each other. "So, it's the next best thing to having a Netflix night at home, cuddled up on the couch."

"Yeah, but it's too bad that there's no privacy curtain."

"Or a 'Do Not Disturb' sign," Paige agreed. They both knew how their Netflix cuddle nights usually ended.

* * *

They had to sit with their seats in the upright and locked positions for take-off. Shortly after the plane achieved cruising altitude, a flight attendant helped them configure their row of seats into the sky couch. They enqueued some movies from the in-flight entertainment menu, but they didn't get very far. With the cabin lights dimmed, Emily was content to cuddle up under the blanket with Paige. She couldn't resist planting kisses on the base of Paige's neck. "Mmm – why can't flying always be like this?" Paige wondered out loud. Emily wasn't paying attention. Her hands were roaming under the blanket. She hadn't planned for any of this, never having even heard of "Cuddle Class" before that morning, but, once she got started, she couldn't stop. Not that Paige minded. She was just concentrating on keeping her expression reasonably neutral and her voice down, so as not to offend their neighbors or alert the flight crew. From what she'd heard, the crew came down hard and fast, determined not to let their service get a reputation for anything beyond cuddling.

Emily's kisses grew sloppier against her neck, and Paige's smile got wider and wider. She was expecting to wake up at any second. All of a sudden, Emily's hand found the zipper on Paige's jeans, and the jolt that fired through Paige's center let her know that this was definitely not a dream. "Em… What's gotten into you?" Emily reached up and turned Paige's face towards hers, immediately covering Paige's mouth with her lips. She wasn't in the mood to talk about her feelings. She was in the mood for connecting with her wife. She reached back down between Paige's legs and opened her zipper, her mouth comically opening wider as the zipper did. Paige was biting her lip trying to keep it together. "Em…" she drawled. Emily stared intensely into her eyes as her hand worked stealthily underneath Paige's zipper. The intensity of the stare was setting Paige off on its own. Emily bit her lip as the movements of her hand grew more purposeful. Paige closed her eyes tight and gripped Emily's shoulder desperately. She couldn't help rocking her hips, as much as she was trying to hold her body still. When she started tightening and releasing her grip on Emil's shoulder, Emily knew that she was close. It was subtle, but Emily felt the shake the worked its way through Paige's entire body as she climaxed. Emily held her in place and helped her come down. When Paige's breath evened out again, Emily cradled Paige's head into her shoulder, depositing soft, comforting kisses into her hair until they both drifted off to sleep.

About an hour later, Paige woke up and started squirming uncomfortably. This woke Emily up. "What's the matter?" she whispered.

"Nothing," Paige whispered back. "I just wish that there was a shower on this plane. We've still got another seven hours in the air, plus we have to clear Customs and ride who knows how long back to the hotel." She writhed again.

"Here." Emily was still whispering. She nudged Paige, to move her into a seated position, and she herself sat up at the same time. She folded the leg rests back so that she could reach her purse under the seat in front of them. She fished around inside it and pulled out a travel pack of baby wipes. "Go to the bathroom and freshen up."

Paige smiled. "So you were planning this all along? Even before you knew about the Sky Couch?"

"Actually," Emily admitted, "I thought that I was going to be the one who needed them, 'cause I know you and your roaming hands."

Paige snickered. "Well, you still might need them, Em! There's still plenty of time left on this flight!"

When Paige got back, they slept some more, until the in-flight meal came around. After that, they relaxed and watched a couple of movies, chatting a bit and occasionally drifting back into sleep until, before they knew it, they were moving their seats back into their upright position as the airplane began circling the airport in Auckland.

* * *

The line for Customs was long, but Paige was doing her best to keep her composure. She and Emily were both exhausted, their internal clocks thrown off by all of their travels over the past week. And, yet, they were on an adrenaline high. This was their first adult adventure, a trip overseas, just the two of them - an official, married couple. Emily was holding her hand and smiling widely at her, apparently thinking the same thoughts.

They connected with the airport's WiFi and sent out e-mail to let everyone know that they had arrived in one piece. It was almost midnight in Texas, and an hour later in Pennsylvania, so they thought better of calling. When they got bored waiting in line, they started posting cheesy selfies.

Auckland was different. It took them a while to adjust to the particular brand of English spoken there. Many of the people with whom they interacted seemed a little impatient with Americans who needed to have things repeated to them in order to understand, but some were understanding. Frankly, having a pretty face helped, when it came to getting leeway from the locals.

Emily was enthralled by the city: The ever-present water, the skyline, the bustle of activity. She shot video of the trip to the hotel, narrating it in her interpretation of a Kiwi accent. They got to the hotel in time to grab a late breakfast, and, afterwards, they went straight to bed. It may have been late morning in Auckland, but it felt like late night to them. They didn't mind starting their exploration of the city after dark.

Emily was surprised that Paige went right out, once they lay down. She knew how single-minded Paige was when she had a goal, so she assumed that, the first time that they were horizontal behind closed doors, Paige would want to earn their first X on another continent. She nestled into Paige, comforted by the sound of her gentle snoring. For some reason, though, Emily was too keyed up to sleep. She sat up in the bed and played solitaire with a complimentary deck of cards that was included in the welcome basket that they found in their suite. Occasionally, Paige stirred, and Emily rubbed her shoulders or kissed her temple, causing her to smile goofily in her sleep before she mumbled something unintelligible and resumed her gentle snoring.

 _This is ridiculous_ , Emily thought. _I'm wide awake now, but I'm going to crash by the time Paige gets up and wants to hit the town._ She tried breathing exercises to calm herself down. She got out of bed and did some yoga and stretching. Finally, she decided to get up and fill the tub in the bathroom, thinking that a nice soak would relax her. The tub was oversized, and there was a bottle of bath oil included with the complimentary toiletries. She grabbed a quick shower before she jumped into the tub. The water was hot and soothing, and she felt every muscle relax.

She also felt eyes on her as she hummed to herself and played with her toes un-self-consciously. She turned to the doorway to see Paige taking in the sight with a smile of delight stretching across her face. "You couldn't wait for me?" she pouted.

"Well, come join me!" Emily invited. She got up and helped Paige out of her clothes, starting the shower for her so that she could rinse the day's travels off of her body. She was cold, but before she could retreat back to the warmth of the tub, Paige grabbed her arm, not wanting to shower alone.

"Paige, I'll be right in the tub! Just hurry up, and you can join me there!" Paige slowly shook her head. She couldn't wait that long. Seeing Emily moments earlier as she relaxed in the tub and enjoyed herself had done something to Paige. It drove home the fact that they were married – that this was the woman whom she was going to come home to every day for the rest of their lives. It was such a pleasant thought. And it made Paige want Emily, right then, right there.

Emily let out an exaggerated sigh, pretending that she wasn't just as impatient as Paige was for them to be together. "Okay, you big baby! I'll get in there with you!"

"I'll make it worth your while, I promise!"

"Oh, there's no doubt in my mind that you will!"

Paige got behind Emily and set the dial on the hand-held shower head to pulsate. She ran it over Emily's shoulder blades, trailing kisses behind it as it went back and forth. The heat, the pulses of water, and the kisses reduced Emily to a moaning mess. She reached behind her to pull Paige closer in, trying, somehow, to connect her mouth to any part of Paige's body. Paige was tantalizingly just out of reach. And moving lower.

Paige began massaging Emily's ass, first with her hands, then with the showerhead, and, finally, with her lips. Paige was on her knees, and she slid the showerhead to the front of Emily's thighs. Emily had her hands in Paige's hair, sliding up and down its moist length. Paige angled the showerhead up and into her, and Emily began bucking wildly. Paige held the showerhead steady as she stood up, kissing and sucking Emily's neck as she wrapped her arm around Emily's breasts and massaged her nipple. She started groaning into Emily's ear, saying that it felt so much better to make love to her now that she was her wife, telling her that she was looking forward to doing this for the rest of their lives, assuring her that this was only the beginning of their adventures together.

Emily worked her hands down to Paige's ass, jerking Paige into herself in keeping with the thrusts that Paige was applying with the showerhead. Emily's senses were overloaded. She was whimpering, trying to squeeze Paige's name through her lips as wave after wave exploded into her and out of her. Paige eased the pressure from the showerhead and directed the spray soothingly over Paige's thighs and stomach before moving it to the back and giving Emily a thorough soaking. She lifted the hair off of Emily's neck and kissed her where the neck met her shoulders in the back. Emily turned around, still working her hands over Paige's ass. She needed to feel Paige's kiss in her mouth. She kissed her hungrily as time stood still and everything around them melted away. The only things remaining – the only things that had ever mattered in their lives together – were her, her wife, and the water.

* * *

Eventually, they came back to reality. "Paige, the water's getting cold."

"I know. I guess I'm not getting my bath, am i?"

"I'll make it up to you," Emily promised.

"You already have," Paige asserted.

Emily used both hands to pull Paige out of the shower. She put one of the hotel's robes on to keep herself warm as she toweled Paige off from the shower. Paige was smiling uncontrollably. "Where's your nipple ring?"

"It's in one of my bags. They both are. I was going to put the heart in later."

"Can I put it in?" Emily suddenly had the urge to get hands-on with the jewelry.

"Seriously, Em?"

"Why, are you worried that I'll hurt you?"

"No – it just sounds weird. Like, I've never asked to put earrings on you."

"I just wanted to try it. No big deal," Emily backtracked, a little disappointed.

"You can put it in,"Paige laughed. " Since it means so much to you," she added melodramatically.

"Right now, I just want to cuddle with you," Emily said, pulling Paige by the hand over to the bed. Their hair was still wet, so they put towels over the pillow cases. Emily put her hair up in a towel so that she could take her spot under Paige's arm. "I never told you this, but, that night freshman year when you comforted me like this over Maya? That's when I knew that we were going to be together forever. I mean, I didn't think that it was possible that you would go for me - go for a woman, but, in the back of my mind, I just knew it. Does that sound weird?"

Paige kissed her. "No, that doesn't sound weird at all. It sounds like destiny." Emily leaned in for another kiss. "Remember when I told you that I was falling for you, and I went running out of the room?" Emily nodded, her lips curling up subtly in anticipation of whatever it was that Paige was going to say. "You texted me to come home, and it just sounded so right – to be coming home to you. And that's what I've been waiting for – _this_ is what I've been waiting for. I can finally come home to you, my wife. I mean, it always felt like coming home, but, now, it's just… I don't know. It's like – "

"Official?" Emily offered. "I don't know the right word, but I know exactly what you mean."

"It feels like – growing up dreaming of being a doctor, and going through all of the study and preparation until, one day, you're a doctor, and nobody can take that away from you." Paige kissed Emily. Again. "I mean, can it possibly get any better than this?"

Emily smiled, pulling the towel off of her head and letting her hair swing free. She climbed on top of Paige and gave her a long, deep kiss. "Oh yeah," she said, as she worked the kisses down Paige's neck and body. "It's about to get a whole lot better."


	13. The Honeymoon Part III: In the Club

"Paige! Come check out this toilet!"

"Why? Does it flush backwards?"

"I don't know - what way is it supposed to flush?"

"Haven't you ever heard the urban legend that that the toilets flush backwards below the Equator?"

"Okay, but which way is backwards? Clockwise? Counterclockwise?"

"I don't know. Just flush it and see whether or not it looks weird."

"Yeah, but there are two buttons - half-flush and full-flush..."

"Yeah, I saw that. Pretty clever."

"So, they must be trying to save water. So, I'm not going to flush just to prove or disprove an urban legend."

Paige laughed. "Okay. I'm going back to sleep. Wake me when you have to go."

* * *

"So, why do we have to find a _lesbian_ club?" Paige called out to Emily, who was getting ready later that evening in front of the bathroom mirror.

"Why not? What's wrong with going to a lesbian club?"

"I don't know - why can't we just go to a _club_? Back home, we just go to clubs, or bars - they don't have to be lesbian."

"Oh, Paige! Live a little! We're on our honeymoon - don't you want to do things that we don't do at home? Don't you want to dance without being a novelty item for horny guys to gawk at?"

"Well, everything I'm finding is for men. 'Drag contest,' 'Go go boys...' Holy shit!"

Emily turned around to look at Paige, who had wandered into the doorway with her tablet in hand. "Find something interesting?" she asked her.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Paige exclaimed, practically tackling her wife in her enthusiasm.

Emily giggled. "What brought this on?" her arms were around Paige's waist as Paige's arms encircled her neck.

"Just looking at you. Sometimes, it hits me how incredibly hot you are."

Emily smiled at this and leaned in to give Paige a long, hard kiss. Paige parted her lips, inviting Emily to deepen it. They held the kiss for as long as their lungs allowed. As Emily backed away, she laid her hands on Paige's chest. "Come on, McCullers!" She parted her lips and kissed Paige again. "Take your hot, sexy wife someplace where we can do this on the dance floor." She swayed her hips, turning around to grind into Paige her fingers running slowly and seductively through her own long, raven locks.

Paige lifted her up onto the bathroom counter and leaned into her body, kissing her hard. Her hands were pressed against the mirror for stability. Emily wrapped her legs around Paige's waist, pulling her in closer, as her hands worked their way over the powerful muscles on Paige's back. Paige's hands dropped to Emily's ass, as she attempted to pull her even closer. The kisses grew increasingly sloppy and unfocused, spreading across each other's faces, necks, and shoulders. Emily squeezed Paige's biceps. Her hands moved up to squeeze Paige's breasts, and Paige responded with a low, rumbling moan that tickled Emily's eardrums. Emily was subconsciously thrusting into Paige's waist. Paige cupped her face with both hands to hold it in place as her kisses became focused, purposeful, and deep once again.

Emily was moaning in time with the thrusting of her hips. She was leaning back on one hand while the other grabbed a fistful of Paige's shirt.

Paige took a step back and shook her head, as though she were coming to her senses. "We need to stop this, Em, or we'll never make it out to the clubs tonight!"

"Fuck that!" Emily said as she jumped off the counter and started kissing Paige again. Her hands were squeezing Paige's ass as she walked her, backwards, toward the bed. Paige didn't need any convincing. She collapsed on the bed, pulling Emily on top of her for an instant before she deftly reversed their positions. Her thigh was grinding into Emily's hot, wet crotch, and she could feel Emily's nails digging into her forearms with each thrust. Emily was using language that she almost never used outside of sex, and it was driving Paige wild. "Look at you," Paige growled in her ear. "Your make-ups all smeared, your hair looks like sex, and I feel like ripping that camisole right off you!"

"Oh, fuck, Paige! Rip it off me!" Emily screamed. "Rip it off me right now!" Emily was clawing desperately at any part of Paige's anatomy that she could reach. Her eyes were shut tightly. She heard the sound of fabric tearing and felt the thin camisole loosen its grip around her torso as Paige tore it off of her. The next sensation was Paige's warm lips on her chest and stomach, followed by Paige's warm fingers as the worked their way underneath the cups of her bra.

"Holy shit!" Paige exclaimed after they collapsed into each other, both of them breathless and spent. "That got incredibly hot, incredibly fast."

"I know, right?" Emily smirked. "But you're still taking me dancing tonight, McCullers!"

* * *

They hotel's concierge recommended a club on the main drag in Auckland. It wasn't strictly lesbian, but they wouldn't feel out of place or on display there. He confessed that, when he recommended gay or lesbian bars and clubs, his guests usually came back disappointed. They were looking for someplace loud and vibrant, and this seemed to be the place.

It was still a bit early for clubbing, and they had both worked up quite an appetite, so they stopped in an intimate little restaurant that looked romantic. There was soft piano music playing and the room was dimly lit.

The maitre d' showed them to their table, and they stared at each other instead of the menus. As Paige ran her thumb against the back of Emily's warm, soft hand, her anticipation grew for what lay ahead of them that evening.

They felt a pair of eyes on them and looked up to see their server smiling broadly. "Let me guess," she said, in that distinctive Kiwi accent to which they were becoming accustomed, "Newlyweds?"

Paige dipped her head, like a kid who had been caught making out under the bleachers at the junior high dance. Emily, always the confident, secure one, smiled up at the server with a hearty, "Yes."

"And you're visiting us from America?"

"Wow - you could pick up my accent just from the way that I said, 'Yes?'" Emily was impressed.

"Nah," their server confessed, with a wave of her hand. "The way you're dressed." Paige and Emily gave themselves the once over, a little at a loss. "Not in a bad way!" the server quickly added, with a wink to Paige and a hand on Emily's shoulder. "You just develop an eye for these things!"

They quickly came up with drink orders and paid more attention to their menus as Harper headed off to the bar.

"She's... friendly," Paige said with sincerity, although it took her a second to come up with the right word.

"Yeah - except for that 'dressed like Americans' thing. Now, I'm going to feel as though I have a huge 'Kick me: I'm American' sign on my back."

"I was thinking that it was kind of like Stanford, remember? When we spotted a group of freshmen, it was easy to tell whether they were from the South, or the Midwest, or Southern Cal."

When Harper dropped off their meals, she told them, "Now, I'm not going to interrupt your romantic evening, so I'll be just over there," pointing to the bar, with her hands clasped and her index fingers extended together to form an arrow. "If you need absolutely anything at all, just give me a wave. If you don't see me, flag anyone over at the bar and someone will track me down. Otherwise, enjoy each other! And your meals, of course." She put a hand on each of their shoulders and gave a friendly squeeze before she dipped at the knees slightly and backed away from the table, smiling as she went.

* * *

The club was rocking. The atmosphere was infectious. As soon as they stepped through the door, Emily let out a loud "Whoo!" throwing her fist in her air and hauling Paige over to the dance floor. The beat was loud and pounding, and Emily danced with abandon. It felt like their first Spring Break, back in freshman year. Emily was cutting loose and enjoying herself. Paige was powerless to dim the smile on her face. There was nothing that she enjoyed more than seeing Emily so jubilant, so free, so young. She did her best to keep up with the moves that Emily was throwing down, but she was more of a spectator than a partner.

After doing her thing in front of, beside, and all around Paige for the better part of an hour, Emily leaned in and shouted over the music, "Paige! I'm so hot right now!" Paige gestured to the bar, indicating that they should go and get a drink to cool down. "No!" Emily shouted all the more urgently, "I'm so hot for youuuuuuuu!" She stretched out the syllable in her overflowing glee. She put her arms around Paige's neck and, still dancing, began kissing her as though they were alone and back in the honeymoon suite. Paige put her arms around Emily's waist and tried to keep her hands steady on top of Emily's ass as it bounced in every direction. "I just want to dance and fuck you for the rest of my life!" Emily shouted.

Paige laughed. "Too bad you won't remember any of this tomorrow," she shouted into Emily's ear.

"What? I'm totally serious! I'm not even fucking drunk!"

"You only use that word," Paige shouted, "when you're drunk or horny!" Emily backed off a little and looked Paige dead in the eye. She was definitely _not_ drunk.

Paige tried to find the fastest path off of the dance floor and into a cab. "No!" Emily protested, "First we dance, then we fuck!" She pulled Paige back into the center of the action. Paige was more than happy to keep it going on the dance floor for a few more hours before the "fucking." The way that Emily was dancing, there wasn't really much of a difference between those two activities.

* * *

By the time that they went outside to grab a taxi, they had gotten quite a workout on the dance floor. It was a crisp evening. It felt like fall weather back in Pennsylvania. There were cabs lined up outside the club, and, after almost no wait, they were on their way back to the hotel.

The cab driver was a pleasant sort, and he tried to make conversation before he realized that his fares' lips were otherwise occupied. Paige and Emily were both hot and sweaty, and the way that the perspiration activated the smell of Emily's shampoo was setting off something primal in Paige. Similarly, Emily was tantalized by the way that the sweat-coated cotton of Paige's scoop neck shirt clung to her curves, and accentuated the lines of her abdomen. Her hands were under that shirt in no time as her lips and tongue engaged in a frantic duel with Paige's. After what seemed like mere seconds in Paily make-out time, the cab driver cleared his throat to let them know that he was stopped at their hotel, not at a red light. Paige staggered to her feet, with Emily hanging off of her neck. She paid the cabbie with an apologetic, shy grin, and the two of them virtually sprinted past the front desk and to the elevators. Paige was smashing the "Door Close" button manically, fearful that they would have to share the elevator and maintain a respectable distance from each other for the ten seconds or so that it took to get to their floor. Fortunately, no one else showed up, and they resumed their uninhibited make-out session. The elevator dinged on their floor, and Emily giggled as they exited, pointing out the security camera that she had noticed over Paige's shoulder but declined to mention, for fear that Paige would stop touching her. Paige just grinned and shook her head as she raced Emily back to their suite.

Paige loved sex, in all of its variations, with Emily. She loved it hard. She loved it slow. She loved it urgent. And she loved it when it was like this: Animalistic. She loved the way that Emily clawed at her and the way that she screamed. Paige was in overdrive. She wasn't capable of conscious thought, but her body knew just what it was doing, and her nerves were hyper-aware of everything that Emily's body was doing. Her body always responded to Emily. She found herself on top of Emily; underneath Emily; found Emily sitting on her face; Emily's head between her thighs, her hair tickling the skin as her tongue drove her over the edge. Emily left no inch of Paige's flesh untouched by her hands, and her tongue, which seemed to be everywhere at once. Paige wasted no time returning the favor for Emily. Emily was already near the edge, and it wasn't long before they imploded into each other, sweaty and panting.

* * *

"Paige," Emily said seductively after things had calmed down, "remember our first time, at the cabin in Tahoe? I woke up and you were doing yoga naked?" Emily teased her finger up and down Paige's torso, between her breasts. "I just thought that it was going to be an every-time thing, you know?"

"As I recall," Paige said patiently, "I was sexually frustrated, and I just needed some kind of release."

"I know, Paige, but – it was just so damned hot!" Her body shivered at the memory. "You've got such an incredible body," she said, her hands roaming all over Paige's body to make her point, "And the things that you can do with it. The poses that you can nail…" A shiver ran through her again, fueling the fire that was already lit in Paige.

"You want to see some naked yoga?" Paige asked, with a sexy grin. Emily sat up, cross-legged, in the bed, and nodded her head like an eager toddler. "Well, I got to see your sexy body dancing erotically all last night, so I guess it's only fair."

"Yes!" Emily shouted, pumping her fist in the air. She was so full of anticipation that couldn't keep her body still.

"Here," Paige said, tossing her a shirt. "Put this on. If I look up from a pose and see those beautiful, naked" – she cupped her hands in front of her chest and grunted, to indicate Emily's boobs – "I might lose my concentration and fall flat on my face."

"And what if you look up and see me touching myself?" Emily asked, seductively raising her eyebrow and biting her lip with her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Oh, fuck me!" Paige laughed, "Seriously, just kill me now!"

"No way!" Emily smacked Paige on the butt, "Not till you show me some naked yoga!"

Paige sighed. "I was a young, heterosexual swimmer in a small Pennsylvania town," she mused, striking the tree pose. Emily's head was bouncing up and down as she giggled, and pointed her index finger down, circling it around, indicating that she wanted Paige to turn around and give her the view from the back. "Now, I'm halfway around the world, doing naked yoga for the amusement of my sexy wife."

Emily was having a hard time keeping her hands off of Paige's butt. It looked so squeezable, but she didn't want to distract Paige and miss out on the rest of the routine. Paige twisted into an extended triangle and Emily let out a low moan. Next came a half moon, and Emily got up and tiptoed around to the other side of Paige. " _This_ , I have to see from the front!" She squealed at the sight of Paige's pert breasts, the way that they were accentuated by the stretching of Paige's chest. Paige hit a standing bow, holding her left leg straight up in the air as she leaned forward, and Emily's eyes grew wide. "How do you balance yourself like that?"

Paige kept her concentration on her breathing. She was actually getting pretty relaxed. Emily had become the tense one. She needed relief. She pulled her shirt over her head. "Em," Paige began to protest, falling back into the starting position. Once she did, Emily was on her. And on top of her. And all over her. She grabbed and stroked each of the muscles that Paige had accentuated in her little routine. "You know I haven't made it through a full progression," Paige teased. Emily just kept kissing and groping and moaning hungrily into Paige's mouth. Paige tossed her head back in mock protest. "Why must naked yoga always end like this?" she sighed.


	14. The Honeymoon Part IV: Too Much

Paige got up and angrily silenced the alarm on her phone. "Ohhhh," she complained loudly, "Why did we decide to do our day of service on the first day here, while we're still all jet-lagged?"

Emily laughed. "That's what I said. But that's the McCullers way. 'You don't get the reward before you put in the work! Push through the pain!'" Paige smiled, shaking her head. "You know that's what they called you, right?"

"What who called me?"

"The swim team. They used to call you, ' _Pain_ McCullers.'"

"Why? Because I was a pain in the…"

"No, because of the way that you always used to say that –" Emily made her voice deeper for effect. "'Push through the pain!'"

"Ugh," Paige groaned, recalling the hundreds of time that she had heard her father use those words. "Nick McCullers strikes again."

Emily cupped her cheek. "It won't be so bad," she said, giving her a quick kiss. "Ick – I _hate_ your breath in the morning," she said, giving Paige another peck, this time, being careful to keep her lips together.

* * *

It was a short cab ride to the animal shelter where they had arranged to volunteer. The manager who greeted them, Garrett, was skeptical. He'd seen these one-day volunteers, especially the ones who were tourists, and he knew that he couldn't count on getting much productivity out of them. He had arranged for one of them to help with office work, inputting and verifying forms, and for the other to help with general cleaning and maintenance. Emily took the office job. She knew that Paige would go crazy sitting behind a desk and would much prefer to be up and moving around. The fact that she would get a bit of interaction with the animals would be a bonus.

* * *

Paige was amusing herself, bagging up garbage, sweeping and mopping, organizing things, smiling and humming as she did. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the technicians straining to reach for a box on a high shelf.

"Whoa," Paige said, moving over and reaching up to the shelf to grab the box for the shorter woman. As she handed the box over, Paige commented, "That's not very ergonomic!"

"I know. It's stupid, but the regulations are very strict about how high the syringes have to be off of the floor in a facility with animals."

"Well, can they get you a stool or something? Because that's horrible for your lower back. Let me guess," she said, poking her thumb at a spot low on the woman's spine, "you've got chronic pain right there."

The woman moaned a bit too loud at the relief that flooded through her at Paige's touch, and Paige smiled in satisfaction at the what her trained hands had been able to achieve through that simple contact. Behind the desk, Emily heard the moan and looked up. Catching sight of her wife and this other woman, she shook her head and smiled to herself. _Typical Paige,_ she thought. Paige was so awkward around strangers, but, when she saw a chance to help someone in need, she transformed into Paige the Hero, flying to the scene and making everything better. _Next_ , Emily thought, _she's going to show her some stretches and teach her the ergonomic way to reach for things._ Sure enough, as she looked on, Paige was demonstrating back stretches and helping the tech follow along. Emily was all but laughing to herself. Her leg was also bouncing underneath the desk. There was something about seeing Paige in this mode that got Emily going.

Emily wasn't the only one who noticed what Paige and Ula were doing. Garrett had picked up on it, too. "We had a guy come through here once trying to sell us on his program of calisthenics for staff wellness. It was way too complicated, and it kept us from our work. Plus, he wanted to charge us an arm and a leg."

"It doesn't have to be long or expensive to be effective," Paige said. "You can just do three to five minutes at the start of a shift and another three to five minutes at the end. A lot of companies find that it not only helps keep their employees healthy, but it also helps builds team spirit. I can write down the address of a web site that has short video workouts that your staff can follow along with for free." Garrett smiled at that. _Free_. It wasn't easy balancing the budget at a non-profit.

Emily was also smiling. _Why is it that everything about Paige on this trip is making me want to jump her?_

* * *

"Paige, is there something wrong with us?" Emily asked across the table at dinner. Paige gave a look to ask what she was referring to. Emily leaned in and whispered, not wanting the rest of the restaurant to hear what she was asking about. "I mean, we've been making love _all the time_ since we got here."

Paige shot Emily a cocky grin, and Emily rolled her eyes. "It must be something in the water down here," Paige joked. "Wait - don't tell me that you're already tired of me?" she joked again.

"It's not that," Emily replied. "It's just… doesn't it seem abnormal to you?"

Paige thought it over. "No, not really. I mean, we're on our honeymoon, it's just the two of us, we're in this beautiful country, and we're still on the high of being married, so, yeah, I think that it's pretty normal."

Emily returned to her food for a few bites before she started in again. "Doesn't it make you…" she leaned in and whispered again, "sore?"

"Not at all," Paige said confidently, "because I know how to stretch!" she teased.

"I know that you do," Emily said, smiling, "I saw you with Ula at the shelter!"

"Oh, sorry." Paige leaned in apologetically. "Did I go over the line?"

"Of course not!" Emily said, taking hold of both of Paige's hands. "I love that about you – you always want to make things better for everyone. It was actually making me…" Emily trailed off, her eyes looking up toward the ceiling at the thought.

"Making you what?" Paige asked impatiently.

"Never mind." Emily physically shook those thoughts from her head with a quick swish. "No," she said, going back to her original question, "I meant, don't you get _sore_?" She looked down into her lap and back up at Paige, quirking an eyebrow, to indicate what she was asking.

"Oh!" Paige caught on. "So, are you saying that you want us to take a break?" she asked, trying hard not to let any disappointment come through in her tone.

"NO!" Emily said quickly and in no uncertain terms. "Um," she continued, licking her lips, "I was actually thinking that we should be eating faster." She tilted her head and shot Paige a wink. Paige dipped her head, stifling a nervous laugh. She knew that Emily was joking, but, even so, she did find herself eating just a little faster.

* * *

On Tuesday morning, they were able to sleep in a bit later than they had on their day of volunteering. They had planned to take a "hop on, hop off" bus tour of the city. Paige thought that it would be a good way to see everything, because they could cover a lot of distance on the bus, but they could also get some walking in and move at their own pace. She didn't miss the opportunity to joke about how appropriate this kind of tour was for them, since they had been hopping on and off each other ever since their plane touched down in Auckland.

Emily loved walking with Paige. She loved holding her wife's arm and resting her head on her shoulder as they took their time meandering through the city. Paige noticed the way that Emily was shivering, so she ducked into a corner shop and picked up an Auckland hoodie for Emily to put on. "It's nice," she commented, once Emily slipped it on. "We should have a thing - wherever we go, we should pick up some signature souvenir, you know? Like a shirt, or a mug - so we that have them from all the places we've been."

Emily smiled, shaking her head. "You really are OCD, aren't you?" she asked with a kiss.

"You mean, 'adorably OCD,' don't you?"

* * *

They were both blown away by the underwater tunnels at the Kelly Tarlton's, the Sea Life Aquarium, watching in awe as the creatures swam all around them on the other side of the transparent walls. Paige was determined to get a picture of Emily with a shark, for the Rosewood gang, so when they saw one roaming around, Emily struck a pose. "Got it!" Paige yelled triumphantly when a shark finally swam past her, happily pointing out that Emily was the left shark.

They walked around the vicinity of the aquarium for a while, looking in the windows and checking the menus of some restaurants that looked interesting. They decided to duck into a vegan place where they could grab a quick salad and catch the next bus to the Auckland Museum. They wanted to catch the Maori cultural performance. Paige had long admired the Haka that New Zealand's rugby team, the All Blacks, performed before their matches – "What a great way to get into your opponents' heads!"

* * *

They were exhausted by the time that they caught the bus to Sky City, where Emily had made reservations at Orbit, the revolving restaurant at the top of Sky Tower, New Zealand's highest building. On the way up, in the glass elevators, Emily held onto Paige's forearm, feeling a bit of vertigo as the ground sank farther and farther away from them. "You going to be okay to eat up here, Em?" Emily assured her that she would be fine. The height wasn't the problem, it was the suddenness of their ascent.

Although they realized that they were paying for the experience, not the menu, they were pleasantly surprised by the food. The restaurant was busy, but they weren't rushed, and they were able to enjoy the full hour that it took to make a complete revolution around the city.

Over the course of the hour, darkness descended over Auckland, and the buildings lit up the skyline. Emily felt like crying. It was too beautiful. "Paige, do you have any idea how lucky we are that we get to see things this beautiful?"

Paige grabbed Emily's hands and pulled them in for a kiss. "I know how fortunate I am. I get to see this beauty every day," she replied.

"I'm being serious, Paige!"

"So am I!"

Emily shook her head. "Well, I'd say that you're just saying that because you want to get me in the sack, but we both know that we're going to end up there tonight no matter what you say."

Paige leaned across the table with a huge smile and gave Emily a tender kiss. "We should stay on our honeymoon forever. We should just become, like, Kardashians."

"Mmm – that sounds nice, doesn't it?" Emily agreed, returning the kiss. "But I know you. You couldn't handle that lifestyle for too long. You need to be doing something with your hands."

"Yeah – I'm going to be doing something with my hands just as soon as we finish our dessert and I get you back to the honeymoon suite!"

Emily didn't say anything in reply. She just slowly raised a spoonful of mango sorbet toward her lips, teased at it for a second with her tongue, and closed her eyes as she wrapped her lips around the spoon and sucked it into her mouth with a satisfied moan. She opened her eyes and smiled at Paige, who looked as though she were about to melt as readily as that spoonful of sorbet had melted in her wife's mouth. Paige wrapped her hands around her water glass and then pressed her hands to her face, attempting to cool herself down.

"Paige," Emily said mock-seriously, "Don't tell me that you're turned on again!" She dangled her spoon in front of her face, slowly swinging it back and forth. "I swear, you're insatiable!" She dipped her spoon back into the sorbet and moved it toward her mouth. At the last minute, she switched directions and guided the spoon towards Paige's mouth. Paige parted her lips, only to have Emily pull the spoon back. She teased Paige a couple more times before she fed her a spoonful of sorbet, then ran her index finger across Paige's lips to collect the residue. She offered the finger to Paige, who longingly licked it clean. Paige could feel herself getting wet. She knew that the ride home was going to seem like forever.

Emily seemed to be reading her thoughts, and she certainly wasn't helping matters. After she teasingly took in another mouthful of sorbet, she licked her lips and, shooting Paige a wink, she mouthed the words, "I'm really wet, too."

* * *

Emily was pedaling hard, but trying not to let on that she was exerting herself. When they decided to rent the bikes and ride along the coastline on Wednesday morning, she made Paige promise not to get all hyper-competitive on her. After an hour or so of riding - watching from behind when Paige stood up in the bike to pedal uphill, taking in the flexure of her arms and the way that her biceps glistened with perspiration, and hearing the way that she grunted as they went over rough terrain - Emily wanted Paige again. It had been almost eight hours since the last time.

One thing that Emily had come to appreciate from their time swimming together was the way that Paige made love to her when she was hyped up for competition, and Emily was not above using this tendency to her advantage. Paige was no fool. She knew what her wife was up to, but, like an animal controlled by pure instinct, she couldn't help herself. Truth be told, she really didn't want to. It didn't bother her that her wife wanted to get her fired up.

"Thought that we weren't going to do this?" Paige shouted as she strained to keep up with Emily. Emily just smiled to herself and gave that extra kick that had served her so well in her years of competitive swimming. "So that's how it's going to be?" Paige shouted again, grinning broadly. She had an extra gear, too, and she put all of her reserves into the final push. They both panicked comically as they realized that they were going to have a hard time coming to a stop without crashing. Everyone at the rental stand looked up when they heard the two screaming as they screeched their bikes to a halt.

Paige couldn't keep her hands - or her lips - to herself as they walked up to check in their bikes and retrieve their bags from the lockers. _Mission accomplished_ , Emily thought. "So, I take it that we're skipping lunch?" she asked between kisses.

"Oh, no!" Paige replied. "I'm definitely going to need some nourishment by the time I'm finished with you."

Emily lightly tried to push Paige off, reminding her that they were in public. "Save it for the hotel, Baby!"

"Hey, don't blame me," Paige shot back. "You lit this fire!"

* * *

"You should really get this pierced," Paige said, out of the blue as she tweaked Emily's navel with her thumb and teased her index finger around its circumference. They were both hungry, but both too tired and content to get out of bed.

"You think so?" Emily asked, and Paige nodded and smiled. "Would that be sexy?" she added, husking her voice.

"Oh, yeah. Especially when you're doing one of those sexy dances that you do for me." Paige bit her lip at the mental image.

"I'm just afraid that it would get caught on things, you know? Like, when you go crazy and start ripping my top off, what if it gets snagged? That could get painful." Emily failed to notice the way that Paige's eyes had darkened at the mention of her crazily ripping Emily's clothes off. She continued, innocently, "I mean, you're lucky - you have a bra protecting this thing." She stroked the anchor that was dangling from Paige's nipple, sending a tingle through her chest. Before Emily knew what was happening, Paige was on top of her, silencing her with a deep kiss and grinding into her thighs. Emily shrieked in surprise and delight as she matched Paige's movements, hungrily pulling her in by the hair. "The fuck was that, McCullers?" she laughed when their lips finally parted.

"Shit, Em... you honestly have no idea what you do to me sometimes, do you?"

"Yeah? You mean, when I do something like this?" Emily sprang to her feet and pulled off her engagement ring and wedged it into her navel. It was the closest thing to a navel ring that she could come with on the spot. Once it was secured in place, she started belly dancing. Paige looked on like a tigress stalking an antelope, her head following every sway of her wife's hips.

Emily's eyes were half shut and her lips were pursed, and she kept thrusting her hip towards Paige on the bed. She lowered her hands from above her head, running them through her hair, and then she curled her index finger toward Paige in a "come here" gesture - but it only served to remind Paige of another context for curling that finger. Paige tripped over herself in her frantic attempt to get out of bed and over to her wife. Emily gasped and broke from the dance for an instant when she saw Paige tumble to the ground. Once she saw that Paige was okay, she danced over to help her to her feet.

Paige only made it as far as her knees. She dove in and started in on Emily hungrily, foreplay be damned. Her hands were all over those hips that had been driving her wild. Emily felt Paige's grandmother's ring dislodge itself from her navel. She perked her ears to hear where it bounced, so that she would be able retrieve it later. For now, all that she had in mind was tangling her hands in Paige's hair as Paige doggedly blew her mind.

* * *

"So, lunch?" Paige asked sheepishly, almost apologetically, dipping her head after she had thoroughly had her way with Emily.

"No lunch for you, Tiger!" Emily brought Paige to her feet and brushed her thumb gently over Paige's lips. "You've obviously got way too much energy as it is!"


	15. The Honeymoon Part V: Oz

In order to make their flight to Australia, the newlyweds had to get up earlier than than they had gotten used to on their honeymoon. It wasn't _too_ early, though; with the two hours that they gained from the time change, they would still get to Sydney before noon. The flight was only three hours, which was good news and bad. On the good side, they had less time to spend in the air, but, on the bad, side, there was no cuddle class.

The few degrees of latitude difference between Auckland and Sydney translated to about 15 degrees difference in temperature, and Paige and Emily were looking forward to spending some time at the beach. Emily was gleefully looking through an in-flight magazine highlighting Bondi Beach as well as other destinations in the vicinity of Sydney. Every once in a while, she would point to an ad with a bikini-clad model and ask Paige, "Do you think that her suit would look cute on me?" She wanted to make sure that Paige was in a good mood – a _really_ good mood – by the time they got to their hotel.

When she finished going through the magazine, she rested her head on Paige's shoulder and held her hand, stroking the back of it with her other hand and drawing the occasional heart with her index finger. Paige pulled their hands up to her lips and gave Emily's a kiss. "What are you thinking about?" Emily asked. Paige hadn't been saying much. Although Emily could tell that Paige wasn't in a bad mood, she still wanted to know what was going through her mind.

Paige shook her head. "Nothing, really. I'm just thinking about how nice your hand feels in mine. Thinking about getting to the hotel room and, maybe, soaking in the tub." She shrugged. "Stuff like that." Emily threaded her arm underneath Paige's and wrapped both hands around Paige's bicep. She tilted her head up and gave Paige a peck on the cheek. Paige nudged Emily's head with her shoulder. "Don't get too comfortable! We're going to be touching down, soon."

"How soon?" Emily asked through yawn.

Paige clicked the monitor on the seatback in front of her until it brought up the map with the flight-time remaining. "Oh, okay. We've still got about an hour," she said. She pulled Emily's head back onto her shoulder and kissed the top of it. "I love your head on my shoulder, Em," she said softly, not wanting to rouse her wife from her relaxed state. Rather than reply, Emily adjusted the position of her head on Paige's shoulder and tightened her grip on Paige's arm. As she felt herself starting to drift into slumber, she let her hand drop down into Paige's lap and fall to rest just between Paige's thighs. Paige sighed in contentment, leaning her head so that it was resting on top of Emily's.

* * *

It wasn't too hot when they stepped outside of the airport, but it was humid. Emily took off her jacket and wrapped it around her waist. "I'm glad that I wore my cut-offs," she said to Paige as they waited for the shuttle to take them back to their hotel.

"Not as glad as I am," Paige asserted. She rolled up the sleeves on her t-shirt and Emily, who was holding onto Paige's arm, rubbed the newly exposed muscles on Paige's shoulder without realizing that she was doing it. Paige smiled and looked over at her. "Are those my aviators?"

"I think that they're _ours_ , now," Emily teased. "Remember our vows? There's no more 'yours' and 'mine' anymore."

Paige tilted her head back and rubbed her chin. "I have to figure out how I'm going to use this to my advantage."

Emily leaned in and kissed her, with a wide smile on her face. "Oh, believe me," she said, her tone full of promise, "You're going to find lots of advantages from this arrangement!"

Emily was smiling. She had no idea that life could be this great.

* * *

"So, do you think that we'll see any kangaroos, Paige?"

"Yes. I'm sure that we'll see some kangaroos. When we visit the zoo." Paige replied patronizingly.

Emily got excited about the zoo. "I want to see a koala!"

"Aren't they nocturnal, though?"

"Ooh! That's even better! A cute little sleepy koala!"

Paige grabbed Emily's hand and gave her a kiss. "I love how you love things!" If anyone on the hotel shuttle was shocked or offended by the gesture, no one let it show. Paige was usually a bit hesitant about being affectionate in public, but, when they were planning their trip, they came across an article that called Sydney one of the world's most queer-friendly cities. They were both looking forward to being able to be themselves with no reservations.

They dropped their bags off in the room and freshened up a bit before they set out for lunch. They ate outside, at a little café, because the day was so beautiful. The city was, too. Emily was looking through a guidebook, calling out possible things to do whenever she came upon something interesting.

Their suite was on the ground floor. It came with a patio that looked out on the beach, and with a very nice bottle of champagne, courtesy of Nick McCullers. Rather than deal with the crowds, they decided to change into something more weather-appropriate and just hang out at the patio for a while, maybe getting in a nap before they set out for dinner and some bar hopping.

When it got a little too warm, they headed over to the hotel's pool to cool down. "It would be great to live in a place with a pool," Emily mused. "I really miss the water."

"Yeah, I was definitely spoiled growing up. But I wouldn't miss having to clean out the pool and getting it prepped for winter."

"Yeah. If we ever _did_ get a pool, we'd also have to get someone to maintain it."

"Or, we could just swim at the Y."

"Yeah. At least, when we're in grad school, we'll be able to swim on campus."

"Where are you thinking for grad school?"

Emily considered the question for a bit. "I'm not sure. I think I'd like to be in the Philly area, if you're okay with that? - it looks as though most of my friends are going to end up in the Northeast."

"Well, there are some great schools for physical therapy and kinesiology in Philly."

"Do you think that we'll end up in the same school again?"

"I mean, that would be ideal, but as long as we're both in Philadelphia, it should work. It's not as if we're going to be living on campus, necessarily, so we'd be able to find an apartment."

"Yeah, good point. Ugh. I'm not ready to think about this."

"I know, right? We can enjoy our honeymoon for a few more days before we have to be adults again!"

* * *

"Hey, Paige!" Emily was getting a little bored lounging around the pool. There was no one else there, so she decided to take advantage. "Let's see whether or not we've still got it! I'll race you, two lengths of the pool, there and back!" Emily got into racing position.

"Emily..." Paige said, in an exasperated sigh.

"What? Afraid you can't keep up with me anymore, McCullers?" she asked, with faux attitude.

"Ha! As if!" Paige sat up from the pool chaise in which she had been lounging and added, wearily, "Emily, we both know the only reason that you ever want to compete with me!"

Emily feigned innocence. "And what would that reason be, do you think?"

"Because!" Paige lowered her voice, even though they were alone in the pool. "Whenever we compete, my adrenaline starts pumping and I get all... _frisky."_

Emily just smiled. The next thing Paige knew, Emily had set off for the other side of the pool, swimming for all that she was worth. Paige's reaction was like that of a cat, chasing after movement on instinct, with no conscious thought behind it. The race was short, and Paige was only able to make up for some of Emily's head start. In the end, Emily nudged her out and kept going, straight to the towels and back to their room. The goal, after all, wasn't to beat Paige in the pool but to get Paige in the mood.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

"This is weird," Paige said, returning to the table with drinks for her and Emily. "All these teenagers - it doesn't feel right."

"I know what you mean," Emily said. It kind of feels like being the chaperones at the high school dance, here."

"Do you want to try some place else?"

"Yeah, maybe. Let's have another round here and then go and find out what else is going on."

Paige was starting to feel like Goldilocks. The next bar felt too old. "We should've gotten married six years younger or six years older," Emily laughed.

"Shall we try another place," Paige asked before they even got a round.

"Can we find a place with dancing? I kind of feel like dancing." Paige smiled. Her night was looking up.

"Now that," Paige said with a kiss, "is the best idea that I've heard all night."

They found a place: Not a club, but a bar with a small dance floor and live music. The place had an older, thirty-something feel to it, and there were only one or two couples dancing at any given time. Paige and Emily grabbed some drinks while they got the feel of the place. Eventually, Emily got that smile on her face and grabbed Paige by the hand, leading her out to the dance floor.

The music was upbeat, and Emily was letting loose, really enjoying herself. Paige was enjoying her, too, but after a couple of songs, she gave the bandleader a look, subtly tipping her head towards Emily. He nodded in understanding. The next song was a slow one.

As Paige wrapped Emily in her arms, she whispered into her wife's ear. "Remember the first time that we danced together?"

"That party after midterms, freshman year."

"I was afraid to slow dance with you. I thought that I might lose control."

"You always do!" Emily observed, and Paige chuckled. "I did get that slow dance on my birthday, though," Emily recalled.

"You wanted more that night." Paige said, feeling guilty, and dipped her head.

Emily lifted her head from Paige's chest and looked her in the eye. "That night was perfect, Paige."

Paige agreed. "It's always perfect when we dance together."

They lost track of time on the dance floor.

"I love dancing with you," Paige whispered into Emily's ear. Emily smiled, her head remaining on Paige's shoulder. "But I really love it," she said, her voice now husky and deep, "when you're dancing all alone." She tilted Emily's head up and kissed her. "Just for me." Emily put her head back on Paige's shoulder and held on just a little bit tighter.

"Mmm," Emily moaned in contentment. "I'll be dancing just for you tonight."

* * *

Emily was feeling happy as she got out of her clothes and got ready for bed. Dancing always did that for her. Even now, back in the room, she was still feeling it, the joy of movement, and she was swaying her hips and moving her hands as she flitted around the room, taking off her makeup and putting up her hair.

"I believe that you promised me a dance tonight," Paige reminded her, her voice slightly slurred.

"Yeah?" Emily responded, putting her arms on Paige's shoulders and clasping her hands behind Paige's head as she continued to sway to the music that was playing only in her head. "And what kind of dance would you like tonight, Paige?" she asked, looking seductively into Paige's eyes before she leaned in to kiss her.

"I don't care," Paige said, "as long as I can hold you close to me."

Emily gave her a smile of comprehension and held out her hands to help Paige off the bed. She wrapped her arms around Paige's waist, and when Paige responded by putting her arms around Emily's neck, Emily took Paige's hands and moved them down to her hips. When they danced together like this, Emily usually rested her head on Paige's chest, but this time, she kept her head up, and they just kept looking into each other's eyes, kissing occasionally. Paige's hands wandered beneath the oversized shirt that Emily had put on when she got out of her dress, and Paige smiled, slightly, at the discovery that Emily had gotten out of her underwear as well.

They kept swaying around in the silence of the room. As time crawled by, their kisses became longer, and the pauses between them became shorter. Emily danced Paige up against the wall, and the dancing moved from their legs to their tongues. Paige moved her hands up to Emily's hair, and she released it from the bun that Emily had put it up in when she was cooling down from the night's dancing. Emily tugged Paige's boxers down, and Paige stepped out of them, the two never pausing their dueling tongues. Emily reached down cupped Paige firmly, pressing her palm against Paige's folds and rubbing in a circular motion. She felt Paige's breath hitch before she broke out of the kiss and threw her head back, desperate for air. She saw Paige's eyes lose their battle to remain open. She felt the hardening of Paige's nipples against her chest. Paige was whimpering "I'm yours, I'm yours, Em" over and over until she pressed her lips tightly together, her moans still escaping them, her fists clenched at her sides, her body shuddering, She collapsed limply into Emily's arms. Emily pushed Paige's head onto her shoulder, keeping one hand behind Paige's head and rubbing her back with the other. Emily helped Paige to the bed and sat beside her, still rubbing her back. She kissed the top of Paige's head, and Paige looked up. She felt compelled to say it again, "I'm yours, Emily. I'm all yours."

The words hit Emily like an aphrodisiac, and she felt her legs twitch. She grabbed Paige by the chin and gave her a deep, hard kiss. Paige took control of the kiss and, before Emily knew what was happening, Paige was on top of her. "You want me, don't you?" she asked.

"Oh, God, yes, Paige. I want you so much. I _need_ you right now!" Paige started kissing Emily's neck, but Emily pushed her away. " _Please_ Paige," she begged, "I _need_ you."

Paige parted Emily's thighs. "Jeez, Em!" she said, feeling how wet Emily was.

Emily moaned out, "Please," with a desperation that refocused Paige's attention. Paige didn't keep her waiting any longer.

* * *

Bondi Beach was beautiful, as they expected. They arrived early in the day, so it wasn't too crowded, but it was clearly heading that way. No sooner had they found a spot for their gear than Emily was dragging Paige by both hands, eager to get to the water. They splashed around a bit, to get used to the temperature, and, soon, they were bouncing around in it. Emily was enjoying herself. Paige was enjoying how much Emily was enjoying it. There were few things in the world that thrilled her more than Emily's smile and the way that she laughed in delight. Before long, she was grabbing her wife and kissing her, feeling so lucky to be young and in love - and married to her beautiful wife.

They had picked up a light lunch from the hotel that morning, correctly predicting that they would want to remain on the beach in the sun when it came time to eat. They were content to lie out and soak up the sun for the rest of the day, saying little, laughing some, kissing occasionally, enjoying the beach and each other.

There was an older man working his way up and down the beach drawing caricatures for whatever people were willing to pay. Paige was eager, but Emily objected. "I look horrible!"

"First of all, you're beautiful. As always. And, anyway, it's a caricature - not a photo. It'll be a fun way to remember our trip!"

Paige apologized to the caricaturist as Emily took more and more of his time, trying to get herself looking perfect for the picture. In the end, they were all pleased with the results, the two of them, from the chest up, arm around each other's shoulders with "Sydney" and the Australian flag on top, and an American flag at their bust line. "It's almost like our private Olympic moment, if we had been around for the Sydney Olympics," Emily commented.

* * *

They had planned to head to the zoo in the afternoon, but they ended up spending too much time at the beach. The day was just too perfect. Rather than rush their way through the zoo, they shifted their plans for the following day and just headed home to get showered and changed for dinner.

Paige suggested that they could save time by showering together and Emily consented, even though they both knew that that they wouldn't save any time that way. It made for a late dinner, by the time they dragged themselves out of the shower (only because the hot water ran out), dried each other off and got each other excited again, then had to take another shower – individually, this time – before they could get dressed.

* * *

Paige woke up to see Emily uncomfortably stretching out her shoulder as she lay in bed next to her. "Did you sleep on it funny?"

"Yeah – and I've got a knot, now."

"Do you want me to work it out for you?"

Emily turned around and looked at Paige with a smile. "I was hoping that you'd ask." Paige nudged so that she was lying face down on the bed and climbed on top of her, sitting on her lower back. She put all of her physical therapy and massage skills to work on Emily's shoulder as Emily moaned in contentment and relief. "Mmm – Paige, are you trying to seduce me?" she asked in a breathy moan.

"You know what, Em? - I was just about to ask you that same question."

Emily smirked into the pillow. "Well, is it working?"

Paige eased off Emily and nudged her, to get her to roll over onto her back. "It works every time," she said.

"Make it quick," Emily fake scolded. "I don't want to miss the kangaroos."

"Well, we could always save time by sharing the shower," Paige suggested, and Emily smacked her playfully, pinning her down on the bed and kissing her into submission.

* * *

They caught the ferry over to the Taronga Zoo. Paige grabbed a map and began setting their strategy. Although it was a full zoo, not just showcasing animals indigenous to the region, Paige and Emily wanted to be sure that they got to see as many of the indigenous animals as possible. They found out when the various animal encounters were. Emily was delighted to see – and be photographed with – a family of kangaroos and to get up close and personal with a koala, albeit, one that was fast asleep. Once they had seen these animals, as well as some that they'd never heard of or didn't know were actually real, they moved on to see the rest of the wildlife. It was a great day for walking, the staff and the animals were very friendly, and Paige and Emily were enjoying walking arm in arm, with no place that they had to be and no schedule to hold to. When their feet needed a break, they made their way over to the food market for a light lunch before they got back to their exploration.

It was a bit chilly out on the water when they rode the ferry back that evening, so they huddled together to keep each other warm. The view of Sydney by twilight was romantic, and they exchanged a few furtive kisses when the moment overwhelmed them. They took a taxi back to their hotel, although they could have walked. They just felt like being cuddled up together for those extra few minutes.

Emily was exhausted. When they got back to the hotel, she lay down on the bed, telling Paige to go get ready for bed first. When Paige emerged from the bathroom, Emily was sleeping soundly, and snoring. She just looked too adorable, curled up on the edge of the bed. Paige took Emily's shoes off and managed to get her skinny jeans off as well without waking her. She lifted her, slightly, so that she could gather her hair into some sort of a bun before she laid her head on the pillow and pulled back the covers, maneuvering herself behind her wife and the covers on top of them both. She planted a kiss on Emily's shoulder and Emily let out a sigh, followed by some unintelligible words. Apparently still asleep, she pulled Paige's arm around her body, clasping Paige's hand on top of her own breast. "That's better," she mumbled into the pillow as she gave Paige's hand a squeeze.


	16. The Long Way Home

Emily woke her wife with a kiss, her hands roaming up and down her body as she lay still naked from the night before. "Are we ready for this?" she asked when Paige opened her eyes and stared at her with a dreamy smile.

Once they had showered and dressed, they grabbed a quick bite before they headed out to catch the shuttle to the airport. As much as they wished that they could spend another week – or month, or year – in Australia, they were looking forward to getting back to their lives in Rosewood. They had a couple of stops to make first, though.

After their positive experience with Cuddle Class on the way to New Zealand, they decided to forgo the stopover in Hawaii and fly directly to San Francisco, so that they could spend some time with the Herndons. They flight was almost 18 hours, but, with Skycouch, they were confident that they could handle it. "You know that this is once in a lifetime, right?" Emily told Paige as they relaxed together in their improvised bed. "Unless you change your mind about swimming competitively and start bringing in that big endorsement money."

* * *

"You realize, when we get back home, we're going to have to sort through all those gifts, and write all those thank-you notes, and look at all those wedding pictures, and order prints," Paige pointed out as they cuddled together a few hours into their flight.

"No!" Emily shushed her. "We're still in the honeymoon zone. No talk of the real world until we're back in Rosewood!"

"Okay, so what do you want to talk about?"

"Hmm…" Emily pondered for a moment. "What was your favorite part of our honeymoon?" Paige tilted up on her elbow and looked down at her wife lasciviously. Emily gave her a smack. "Besides that," she clarified.

Paige sighed and thought it over. "I don't know. I mean, it's going to sound as if I'm talking about sex, but, really, what I liked the most was just to have you all to myself. Nobody calling us, nobody whom we had to see, nothing that we had to do. It didn't matter what we were doing." Emily quirked her eyebrow in skepticism. "Okay, admittedly some things were more fun than others…"

"The sex," Emily filled in.

"… and some were less"

"The lines at the airport," she filled in again.

"But, honestly? There's no single favorite thing. All of it was my favorite. Just you and me – that's my favorite."

"Mmm. That's sweet," Emily smiled, giving Paige a kiss.

"So what was _your_ favorite?"

"Dancing. Definitely dancing with you. And dancing _for_ you. I just like connecting with you, body to body. So, if I can't say 'sex,' it would have to be dancing."

Paige laughed. "Yeah, that's a good answer. I definitely enjoyed the dancing, too."

"Sometimes, it feels as if our life is a dance, you know? I love doing things with you, and I love doing things for you. And sometimes, we're sharing the experience with other people, and sometimes, it's just the two of us. And maybe someone will cut in every once in a while, but, in the end, we know that it will always come back to me dancing with you."

Paige smiled. "Have you been drinking?"

"Paige, I'm totally serious! That was some deep, philosophical shit I just threw down."

"I know, I know. I'm just teasing you. And you're right. Our life is like a dance. You're the one who does it confidently and effortlessly, and I'm the grinning dork who just hangs around you trying to keep up."

"Yeah, but you're _my_ dork," Emily said.

After a few moments of silence, Emily mused, "It's too bad that we didn't get married like a month later. I was reading about Mardi Gras in Sydney. It's supposed to be sick."

"Really?"

"Yeah - like, it's this huge LGBT celebration. People come from all over the world for it."

"Shit! How could we miss out on that? We might just have to come back for it."

"Seriously? Paige McCullers, wanting to take two trips to the same country, rather than crossing a new country off of our list?"

Paige laughed. "Yeah, that was really bad planning, wasn't it? We crossed off Australia _and_ Louisiana without getting to Mardi Gras in either place."

Emily rubbed Paige's arm comfortingly. The wheels had begun turning in Paige's head, though. Somehow, someday, they would have to make it back to Sydney for Mardi Gras.

* * *

Fred and Gloria were happy to see them at the airport in San Francisco. Once they had retrieved their bags, they headed off to the Herndons' familiar home. They spent their time in the car fighting sleep and giving their hosts a quick overview of their travels.

It was still early afternoon when they got back to the house, but Fred and Gloria advised them to rest for the night. They had been in transit for a solid twenty-four hours, and they were still on Sydney time. They had a quick snack, struggling to keep their eyes open, before they said goodnight and trundled off to bed.

After the typical, over the top breakfast the next morning, they sat down with Fred and Gloria in the living room and went through all the photos on their tablets. "We've seen them on facebook," Gloria observed, "but we want to look through them with you and hear the whole stories behind them!" Paige and Emily were more than happy to relive their honeymoon with the Herndons. Even when the occasional unflattering or awkward photo that didn't make the cut for facebook came up, they were able to laugh it off and enjoy telling the backstories.

Paige pulled out a box and handed it to Fred and Gloria. Inside, there was a framed sheet of postage stamps with airplanes from the Royal New Zealand Air Force for Fred, and cookbooks from New Zealand and Australia for Gloria. "We wanted to bring back some local ingredients for you," Emily explained, "but one of the salespersons advised us that we'd have a hard time getting them into California."

Their three days with Fred and Gloria felt like a different world. It was like the airlock in the space station: They weren't out on their own spacewalk anymore, but they weren't back inside with the rest of the crew, either. Their honeymoon was over, but they were still in the bubble.

In many ways, they were the complete opposite of the Herndons: They were newlyweds, where the Herndons had been married for decades; they were East Coast, where the Herndons were West Coast. And, of course, there was the gay/straight contrast. But, in more ways than those in which they were opposites, the Herndons represented what they aspired to: Two people who loved each other and had built a life together, complete with children and grandchildren. Two people who were forever young. When that realization hit Paige, she observed to Fred and Gloria, "You guys aren't growing old together. You're staying young together."

The night before their flight to Texas, Paige and Emily did laundry in the Fred and Gloria's laundry room. They had traveled as light as possible for their month-long odyssey, which meant that they had had to do laundry a couple of times en route.

Emily smiled to herself, watching Paige re-fold everything that she had folded and put into the laundry basket as she meticulously arranged their clothes in the suitcases. Emily went over and kissed her on the cheek. "I know that this behavior is going to be annoying to me someday, but, right now, I just find it incredibly cute!"

Fred and Gloria took them to the airport in the morning, and they exchanged teary good-byes outside the terminal. Paige and Emily promised to let them know whenever they were heading back to Stanford for a homecoming or alumni event, and Fred and Gloria said that they would keep in touch if they were ever in the Philadelphia area. "Or anywhere in the Northeast," Paige suggested. "It's pretty easy for us to get up to New York or down to DC." With a final round of hugs, Paige and Emily headed inside to check in.

* * *

When they got back to Fort Hood, Wayne and Paige took their bags up to the apartment. Emily's eyes widened when she saw that they had made up the couch in the living room. She didn't say anything, but she poked Paige, to point out the couch. Once they got to the bedroom, Emily closed the door. She was livid. "Can you believe that, Paige?"

Paige was trying to be calm. "Maybe there's a logical explanation, Em."

"Like what, Paige? Like that my parents aren't as accepting of our marriage as they've been pretending to be?"

"Like, maybe they have another guest staying with them this week, and that guest is sleeping on the couch?"

"Oh, _please_ , Paige. Don't you think that they'd tell us?" Emily was beyond upset. She felt betrayed. How could her parents stand up at their wedding and give their blessing, then turn around and do something like this? They would _never_ expect her to sleep on the couch if she had married a man.

"Well, we need to go talk to them. Give them a chance to explain."

"Oh, yeah. I'm _definitely_ going to go talk to them!" Emily reached for the doorknob. Paige got up to go with her. Emily turned around and put her hand on Paige's chest to stop her. " _I'm_ going to talk to them," she said with finality.

"Em, don't you think that it would be better if you calmed yourself down, first?"

"No!" she said, louder than she had intended. "They need to see how mad I am. They have to hear that this is _so_ not okay. I don't want to let them off the hook by calming down first so that we can talk it over nicely." The more Emily talked, the more the tears started forming in her eyes. Paige tried to hold her and help her to collect herself, but Emily was determined to tough it out. In the end, Paige thought it best to let family deal with family.

Emily went to her parents' room and knocked on the door.

"Hey, Kiddo, what's up?" her dad said, smiling as if nothing were wrong. That was the last straw. Emily wanted to scream at him, but she couldn't find her voice. And she couldn't hold back the tears.

Seeing her distress, her mom jumped up from the bed and hugged her. "Oh, Honey," she said, and she smacked her husband across the chest. "Wayne, I told you that she wouldn't think that it was funny!"

Wayne threw up his hands with an innocent look on his face. Pam continued to hold Emily protectively. "Your father and his stupid sense of humor," she said. "I _told_ him that it was a stupid idea!"

Emily looked at her dad. He had a worried look on his face. "Emmy, I'm so sorry. If I had thought for a second that you wouldn't know that it was a joke…" Emily started to laugh through her tears. She wasn't amused, but, rather, relieved. "I'm really sorry, Emmy. Let me go apologize to Paige," he said, about to push past her.

Emily shook her head. "It's okay. I'll go explain it to her. She wasn't upset. She told me that there had to be an explanation."

"I should never have let him go through with it, Emmy. Do you forgive us?" Emily smiled and hugged them both, nodding her head.

* * *

Once everyone was seated for dinner, Wayne made an announcement. "I just want to apologize publicly to both of you, Emily and Paige, for my little joke earlier. I want you to know that your mother and I support you both one hundred percent, but, more than that, we're proud of you, and we love you. Paige, I couldn't ask for a better spouse for my daughter, male, female, or otherwise, and I want to be sure that you know that we don't – _I_ don't - think any differently about this marriage than I do about any other. You're part of the family, now, and that means that you get to see us when we're at our worst. I made a mistake in judgment, and, for that, I apologize to you and Emily, and to you, Pam.

Emily got up and gave her father a hug. "I know that you accept us, Daddy. I should've known that you were joking."

"No, Emily. You didn't do anything wrong," Wayne assured her. "I was the one at fault, here."

Once they released, Paige went over and hugged him, too. "I'm very proud to be a part of this family, Wayne."

After they sat down and started passing the food around, Paige said, "So, Wayne, you're still outnumbered. I bet you were looking forward to getting a son-in-law when Emily got married, you know – to even the odds a little!"

Wayne laughed his deep laugh. "Well, I always used to tell Emmy," he said, nudging his daughter with his elbow, "that I wished that she were twins. So, getting another daughter is like having my dream come true, in a way!"

Later that evening, as they were relaxing together, Pam and Wayne told the girls that they would be heading back to Rosewood in a few months. Wayne had made the promotable list, and it was only a matter of time before he would be able to retire as a full colonel. He planned to do some consulting, perhaps at the old Navy Yard in Philly.

"Don't worry," Pam said, "We're not kicking you guys – or Hanna – out of the house. There's plenty of room."

Paige and Emily thanked them, telling them that they were looking at graduate schools in the Philadelphia area. Come the fall, they still probably be in the area, but living closer to campus.

* * *

"So, hypothetically," Paige asked, as she and Emily settled into bed, "Now that we're married, can we have sex under your parents' roof? – And I'm not asking for this week. I'm just saying, if we're going to be living together in Rosewood, with those thin walls…"

"Well," Emily said, putting her arms around Paige's neck and surprising her with an unexpectedly deep kiss, "why don't we find out?" Paige, caught off guard, staggered a bit and looked at Emily questioningly. "Do you think that you can be _quiet_?" Emily teased.

"Yeah," Paige replied sarcastically. "Because _I'm_ the screamer."

Emily thought that she heard her parents turn up the volume on the TV in their bedroom as things heated up in the room where she and Paige were, but she convinced herself that it was just her imagination.

* * *

Emily ended up spending a lot of time in the kitchen with her mother during their week at Fort Hood. Even though it looked as if they would still live close to each other, once she and Paige started school in the fall, she knew that she would never have as much time spend with her mother as she did that week. And she really loved kitchen time with her mom. Even in the rough days, after she first came out, when her mother couldn't really speak to her, they still worked together in the kitchen. Ultimately, that time together is what helped break down the wall between the two of them.

* * *

They were relieved to get back to the old house in Rosewood and back to the bed that they had gotten used to in the couple of months before their wedding. An even bigger relief was the discovery that Hanna and Caleb had organized all of their gifts, and had even made a spreadsheet with the names and addresses of listed next to the individual gifts. "Oh, my God – I can't believe you guys did all of this for us!"

"Yeah, well, we got bored for the like three hundred years that you guys were gone! Besides," Hanna added, "we know that you'd do the same for us!"

Emily gave Hanna a hug. "Of course, we would!"

Paige joked, "Wait, did we miss something? Are you guys getting married?" Hanna scrunched her face up and smiled as she nodded her head. She held her hand out so that they could see the ring.

"HANNA!" Emily screamed, "Oh my GOD! I'm so happy for you guys! Tell us all about it!"

"Don't tell me that Caleb got inspired by our wedding?"

"Something like that," Hanna said, trying to be casual. "He's has to go to California for a year on some tech intern thing, so he figured that he'd better lock this down," she explained, running her hands down her body like a spokesmodel.

"So, you guys are getting married pretty soon, then?"

"Seriously, Em? Not even I could pull off an event as big as my wedding in less than a year."

"I thought that you'd been planning it all your life," Paige observed.

Hanna gave her a sarcastic scowl and continued. "We're going to get married after he gets back. So I still get to be your third wheel for another year."

* * *

"So, what did you get me from Australia?" Hanna asked, without any trace of self-consciousness, once Paige and Emily got unpacked. Emily went back into the room and returned with a gift bag. Hanna gasped as she peeked inside, clasping her hands over her heart. "Oh my God! It's perfect," she squealed as she pulled the stuffed animal out of the bag and raised it high above her head before she clutched it to her chest. It was the cutest plush koala, wearing a Navy blue "I heart Sydney" t-shirt. "Hey there, little guy," she said in the tone that she might use with a baby, "I'm going to call you Paily!"

"And, check this out," Paige said. She lifted up the koala's shirt to reveal a ring where its nipple would have been, if stuffed koalas came with nipples.

Hanna, along with Paige and Emily, burst into laughter. "Okay, then" Hanna smirked. "I guess her name is Paige!"

* * *

On their first weekend back in Pennsylvania, they drove out to see Paige's dad – to pay their respects to the guy who had paid all the bills, Paige joked. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. Nick McCullers believed in working hard and playing hard. Paige and Emily had worked hard to get to Stanford, and they had worked hard to excel while they were there. Nick told them to take full advantage of the opportunity to play hard when they were young, because the opportunities would be harder to come by as they got older. Deep down, he really loved his daughter, and he was more than happy to be in a position to give her and her wife a dream honeymoon.

So, their trip to see him wasn't out of obligation. Paige genuinely missed her dad. Emily missed him, too. The more she got to know Nick, the more of Paige she saw in him. She couldn't help feeling affection for the man who had shaped her wife into the woman she was. And she was so grateful to see the way that their relationship had progressed during the five years that she had known them. Family was important to Emily. She felt truly blessed to have a great relationship with her parents, and she was glad that Paige could say the same – about her father, at least.

Deep in Emily's optimistic heart, she held out hope that, someday, Paige could have a positive relationship with her mother, as well.


	17. The Grind

Paige, frustrated, blew a dangling lock of her hair out from the front of her face. Emily, walking past her on her way to the kitchen, tucked the strand behind her ear and gave her a reassuring smile. She let her hand linger on Paige's ear as Paige mentally calmed herself.

"Remember what I told you," she said softly. She smiled softly, too, and, when Paige returned the smile, Emily gave her shoulder a squeeze and continued on her way into the kitchen.

It was Paige's first day at The Brew. She and Emily had decided to keep busy and make a little money before they started grad school in the fall. Emily had talked to her former boss, and he was happy to take her back. He also hired Paige, on Emily's recommendation.

It was normal for people to have jitters on their first day, but not Paige. Paige had prepared for this. Back at the house, the weekend before she started, she had Emily walk her through the menu, and she went through the motions of making the drinks and sandwiches over and over again behind the imaginary counter. Emily told her that there were going to be rushes, and that, when they hit, although the tendency is to try to move faster to keep up, the best thing to do is to proceed calmly at the normal pace. "It's like swimming," she said. "Keep to your pace. Don't let what's happening around you take you out of your game."

Remembering Emily's words, Paige slowed her mind down and got back on her game. Soon, the rush was over, and she began mentally preparing for the next one.

"So, what did you think?" Emily asked, upbeat, on the drive home.

"I think that I have a new respect for baristas!" Paige replied.

"You'll get the hang of it," Emily assured her, reaching her hand across the console and stroking Paige's thigh.

"All these years of smelling like chlorine; now, I smell like caffeine!"

"I know - I love that smell! Don't you?"

"I guess that I can get used to it." Emily had tried for many years to convince Paige of the wonders of coffee in all its variations. She was convinced that this new job would either make it or break it for Paige: Paige would become a caffeine junkie, or she'd never want to be around it again. The early results weren't looking promising.

* * *

Mondays were their busiest days. After work, they volunteered to tutor some of Coach Fulton's swimmers who were in danger of getting put on academic restriction. It was also one of their three gym nights. Since the day was so long, they decided to make it their dinner-date night and go out to dinner rather than stay home and cook. One of the surprises among their wedding gifts was the number of restaurant gift cards that they received. They figured that they could go out every Monday for a solid six months without having to worry about paying. The fact that they were using gift cards meant that they had to eat at chain restaurants - albeit, upscale chains - but that was fine with them. They didn't have to cook, and they could find something healthy. Their dinners out meant more time for conversation with each other, which was a bonus.

They did enjoy working together in the kitchen, as well - on days when they made their own dinner. Hanna was the wild card. When she was in the kitchen, there was no telling what might happen - except a lot of laughing and a huge mess to clean up.

Their gym nights consisted of weights and resistance training, and yoga and cardio classes. They also went running almost every morning. At least once a week, they got some laps in at the pool of Rosewood High.

Paige missed competing, though. She tried to talk Emily into signing up for one of the local teams, but Emily was having none of it. "No way, Paige. You take that stuff _way_ too seriously. It's not any fun!"

"I can rein it in! Come on, Em. I don't want to do it by myself."

"Paige, the only time I've ever seen you rein it in was that time we went running with my Mom. So, if you can convince my Mom to join a team, I'll sign up, too. Otherwise, you're on your own."

"But we're a _couple_ , Emily! We're supposed to do stuff together. You'd just be lonely sitting at home while I'm out having fun and working up a sweat."

"Yeah, that sounds horrible. I can sit at home and chill with Hanna while you get all hyped up and physical and come home all hot and horny!" Emily laughed. "You're not making a very convincing case, McCullers!"

In the end, Paige ended up finding pick-up basketball games in the gym after their workouts. Emily showered and changed, then went to the stands to cheer for her wife. At first, the guys were dubious about playing with a _girl_ , but it didn't take them long to find out that she could run with them, shoot with them, and get just as physical as they did.

Emily loved the way that Paige's body moved out there on the court. She wasn't the only one. She was only too glad to lay claim to her wife - giving her a sip from a water bottle and a kiss during timeouts (to a chorus of hoots from the jocks) - whenever she noticed someone getting his hopes up.

They were always in the mood for much more than just those chaste kisses by the time that they got home.

* * *

Paige and Emily began looking at grad schools in earnest as winter turned into Spring. Tuesdays were the days dedicated to that activity. Much of it was done over the internet, of course, but they also took trips into Philly to check out the campuses there. They also had plenty of studying to do for the GREs as well as applications to fill out for admission, assistantships, and fellowships.

Ultimately, Paige got accepted and received a teaching fellowship at Drexel. The fellowship included housing and a stipend for expenses. Emily was admitted to the English Lit program at UPenn, and got an enormous bill to go with it. "It's okay," Paige teased. "The McCullers clan has always believed in supporting the humanities." Of course, Emily got some fellowships, too, and, between the two of them, they were able to come up with a budget that would allow them to make it comfortably, albeit frugally.

"Remember when we were getting ready to start Stanford?" Emily mused. "Back then, it was like an adventure. We were drawing up all those plans for the room before we even got to campus. Now, it's just like - meh."

"Yeah. I guess it's 'cause Stanford was like a new beginning - the first time on our own, you know?"

"I know. And this is different. It's like a rest stop on the way to our destination."

"Exactly. I'm going to be excited when we get our first _real_ place together in the _real_ world..."

"But living together on campus - we've already done that."

"Just not with Hanna," Paige laughed.

Hanna had considered staying with Emily's parents for the remainder of the time that Caleb was in California, before he moved back and the two of them began looking for their own place. In the end, though, she decided that it would be too weird for someone her age to live with her friend's parents. She made arrangements to crash in Paige and Emily's on-campus apartment. Not wanting to risk hurting Pam and Wayne's feelings, she told them that she was declining their offer to stay with them because she needed to be in the city in order to make contacts with people in the industry. Pam and Wayne were glad to have the house to themselves, but it seemed a lot emptier without any of the girls around. It helped that Philadelphia was only a short drive away.

* * *

Their last summer in Rosewood was eventful. When Wayne retired from the Army, and he and Pam moved back to Rosewood, Pam went back to work for the police department, and Wayne began teaching some adjunct courses in Criminal Justice at Hollis.

With the pressure of applying for schools behind them, Emily was able to spend more time bonding with her parents. Paige, for her part, renewed her bromance with Wayne. She ditched Emily as a running partner, preferring to get up early and run with her father-in-law. This left Emily free to run with her mom, to their mutual delight. As much as Emily had the reputation as a daddy's girl, she cherished her time with her mother. She might not have realized it when she was younger, especially when it was just the two of them living in Rosewood. It was easier to miss her dad when he was deployed, and it didn't help that his absence meant that her mom had to be the heavy, being the voice of authority and the one who said "No" during her rebellious teens. And, of course, there was the rift between the two of them when Emily came out. However, when Emily was away at Stanford, she found herself missing her mom's presence and input much more than she had anticipated that she would. Paige often pointed out how much the two of them were alike - something that Emily hadn't really considered. She always thought that she and her mother were polar opposites until Paige started pointing out things about Pam that reminded her of Emily.

And there was no denying the fact that Paige's dysfunctional relationship with her own mother made Emily realize how fortunate she was to be on good terms with her mom.

In one of her late night, in-bed conversations with Paige, Emily brought up the subject of Paige's mom. "Do you ever think of reaching out to her?"

Paige didn't respond for several seconds, and Emily worried that the question had upset her. "No," she finally said in an even tone, after giving it some thought and being honest with herself.

"Would you be open to it if she contacted you?"

Paige laughed. "If I say, 'Yes,' re you going to do that thing that they do in bad sitcoms - send my Mother a note supposedly from me and send me one supposedly from her?"

Emily turned to face Paige with a wide smile on her face. "Hey - you're actually joking about this!"

Paige returned her smile. "Yeah, I guess I am," she mused. After a few moments of thought, she realized that she didn't have a reply to Emily's question. "I honestly don't know what I would do if she reached out to me, Em. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for her that to happen, though."

"Do you ever wish that she would reach out to you?"

Paige let out a deep sigh. "All the time, Em," she said with pain in her voice. "I mean, who wouldn't want that? - To know that her mother actually cares about her; that she actually _wants_ a relationship. Yeah, there's not a day when I don't wish that."

"I'm sorry, Paige," Emily said, cupping Paige's cheek. "I didn't want to get you all worked up."

"It's okay, really, Em," Paige responded sincerely. "I'm actually surprised that the subject doesn't bother me as much as it used to. It's actually kind of nice to see that I'm making progress."

Emily didn't say anything. She just kissed Paige, cupping her cheek again, and turned around into Paige's big spoon again. She really wished that Paige could have a relationship with her mother. If she thought that the trick of sending notes to them would actually work, she would definitely do it, but she knew that those things only work on TV and in the movies.

* * *

Wayne took some of his bonus from the Army and bought a 1990 Camaro, "because we needed something to fill that empty space in the garage," Pam said, sarcastic and annoyed. Rebuilding the engine of a classic car was something that he had wanted to do for many years, and, since he was only teaching a couple of nights a week, he had plenty of time to put into it. Most of the time, Paige was out there with him. She really enjoyed hanging out with Emily's dad; not just the things that they did together, but the chance to talk with him and get to know him. Often, when he told about his time overseas, he cautioned her, "Now, I've never told my wife or yours about this," before he discussed a particularly grisly or harrowing experience that he had lived through. He wasn't telling her war stories for shock value. Paige got the feeling that he really needed an outlet to release some of the things that he was carrying around with him, and he didn't want to scare or worry Pam or Emily. For some reason, he seemed to think that Paige could handle it. Perhaps it was just easier for him to talk when they were engaged in the kind of activity that relaxed and grounded him. Whatever it was, Paige was glad to be his sounding board. It seemed to have a benefit on his heart, as well, as his check-ups got better.

Paige kept his confidence. Once, when Emily asked what the the two of them talked about during those hours when they were elbow deep in the Camaro, Paige just shrugged it off with a vague answer. "Everybody needs someone to talk to," she said. "Some things are just easier to discuss with an engine purring in the background."

Emily got the gist. She knew that her father shielded her and Pam from a lot of what he experienced in his deployment. She gave Paige a kiss. "You're good for him," she said. "Thanks."

* * *

"So," Emily stated, "I was thinking of taking Hanna out to dinner."

"Okay," Paige replied enthusiastically, "Where are we going?"

"Actually, I was just going to take her out myself."

"Oh, thank God!" Paige said with a sigh.

Emily gave her a playful punch to the shoulder. "Since when do you have a problem with Hanna?"

"I love all of your friends, Em. It's just - sometimes, Hanna can get to be a handful."

"Aw, Paige... She just misses Caleb."

"Yeah, obviously! I swear, we should just get her a ticket to California for a booty call. That would be a wise investment!"

* * *

"So, did Paige tell you to get me out of the house?"

Emily laughed. "No," she assured her, "but she did seem rather relieved when I told her that I wanted to go out, just the two of us."

"Ugh! I know! I've been a pistol lately..."

Emily grasped her hand across the table. "We understand!"

"I need to get _laid_!" Hanna whined.

Emily, caught off guard, laughed out loud. "Yep. That's what we understand!"

"Am I that pathetic?" she pleaded.

"Of course not, Hanna! We understand, because we're the same."

"Yeah, I know. Thin walls, remember? At least things are cooling down, now that your parents are back living here." Emily could feel herself turning red. "It's cute the way that talking about you and Paige pounding it out makes you blush like that, Em."

"Paige actually suggested that we get you a plane ticket out there for a booty call."

"Get on that!" Hanna said, adding, "I'm not too proud to accept free tickets!"

"Did you talk to Caleb? Maybe he could get you one of those airline hacks."

"No, he can't. I mean, he _can_ , but it wouldn't do any good. They have him locked away in like some cult indoctrination camp. Even if I were out there, I wouldn't get to see him."

"Ugh. I know what that's like. When I was training with the national team, Paige was out there with me, but we never had any time together. It sucked."

"Tell me about it... Lucky for me, I've still got my best friends with me!"

Emily reached for her hand again. "We're glad to be here with you, Hanna."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Cute. But I'm not talking about _that_ kind of best friend," she said, giving Emily a serious glare.

Emily furrowed her eyes in confusion for a second. When it hit her what "best friends" Hanna was referring to, she said, "Oh... Ew!" and made a show of slowly backing her hand away from Hanna's and wiping it off on her shirt.

* * *

It was a long, hot summer, and the five of them started spending more and more of their evenings sitting on the front porch, sometimes reading, sometimes talking, sometimes doing nothing other than being with each other. Emily was becoming more and more aware of the importance of spending time with her family. Her father had had some heart issues before his discharge from the Army, and that made her realize that she needed to make the most of every opportunity with them. She was almost in a hurry to start a family, so that her children would be able to get to know their grandparents. "Can you imagine the four of us sitting out here with a bunch of kids running around on the lawn?" Emily asked Paige. Paige smiled. The question seemed out of the blue to her, not having been privy to Emily's musings about her parents' health, but she enjoyed the mental picture nonetheless. She kissed Emily's forehead.

"That sounds just about perfect."


	18. Shotgun Tour

The end of the summer drew near, meaning that it was time for the annual trek up to the Hastings family's shore house. Caleb was still in California, and Aria had accompanied Ezra on a trip with some of his students for a summer semester in London.

The prediction that the girls made back in spring break was already coming true: It was becoming harder and harder for them all to get together.

The trip could have been a bust. It rained almost every day, so there was little time for the beach and no cookouts or bonfires. They decided to make the best of it, though, choosing to enjoy being together. They played indoor games and caught up on reading and sleep.

About three days in, Hanna got stir crazy and ran yelling from the house, determined to get into the water, the storms be damned. "She really needs a man, doesn't she?" Paige asked Emily. Emily just shot her a playful smile and ran yelling after her, getting soaked to the skin in her cut-offs and t-shirt. Soon, they were all out on the beach, frolicking in the rain with reckless abandon.

"You guys are all crazy!" Toby said, back at the house as they huddled under towels and blankets trying to dry off and warm up. He was smiling when he said it. They all were. Paige found a Duraflame log in the pantry, and they huddled around it as it burned in the fireplace.

"I kind of wish that I had a guitar," Paige said. "This just seems like one of those guitar sing-along moments."

"Do you even _play_?" Spencer asked, smiling?

Hanna pulled up some guitar songs on her phone. The best that she could do was children's sing-alongs, but, with the fire, some beers, and each other, it worked just fine.

* * *

At the end of their week at the shore, when Hanna headed back to Rosewood and Toby and Spencer headed back to New York, Paige and Emily continued north to Connecticut. They decided to do their Shotgun Tour: Five Xs in seven days.

"Where are we?" Emily asked sleepily, shifting in her seat.

"Connecticut. We're about an hour out of Hartford."

"You mean to tell me that I slept through New York?"

Paige nodded and glanced over at her. "I was going to wake you to ask whether or not you were game to pull over at a rest stop and cross New York off of our list, but I didn't think that you would find it nearly as funny as I did."

Emily smiled and shook her head. "You're right! But why do I get the feeling that you were only half-joking?"

"Moi?" Paige laughed. "Rest-stop sex doesn't count, remember? Besides, when we do New York, I want to do it the right way. It's such beautiful country up there - the Adirondacks - Niagara Falls..."

"Oh, Paige! We should do West Point! You know, for my Dad!"

"He was ROTC, though, right?"

"Yeah, but..."

"No, I know what you're saying. That would be cool. Maybe they would want to go with us."

"Bucket List Tour with my parents?" Emily was smiling at the thought of how supremely awkward a trip that would be.

"No, seriously! It would be fun. And, as far as their concerned, we're just trying to visit all fifty states. It would seem weird _not_ to invite them along."

"Not necessarily. Maybe they'd just think that we didn't invite them becaue I want you all to myself," Emily said with her sex-face.

"Don't make me turn this car around, Emily Fields! If you get me going, we'll end up crossing off New York without leaving the car!"

"Road sex doesn't count!" Emily and Paige said simultaneously. In the silence that followed their laughter, Emily thought things over. "You know what?" she said out of the blue, "I'm not sure that I want you going to West Point with my Dad."

"Why?" Paige chuckled. "Afraid he'd sign me up?"

"Exactly!" There wasn't a trace of humor in Emily's voice.

"Um – I'm a little old for the Military Academy, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but I know you, Paige. You'd get so excited about how orderly and regimented everything at West Point is, and then my Dad will start telling you about all of the rules and regulations of Army life, and, next thing you know, I'm not just an Army Brat, I'm an Army Wife!"

Paige laughed at that. "Army Brat," she repeated.

"What's so funny?"

"Like, 'Brat' is the last word that I'd ever use to describe you. Seriously – you're a drop-dead gorgeous only child – how are you _not_ a brat?"

Emily laughed. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm not the only drop-dead gorgeous only child in this marriage."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Maybe we _are_ both brats. Maybe I just can't see your brattiness, 'cause I'm blinded by your incredible beauty, and you can't see my brattiness 'cause you're blinded by my adorable dorkiness." Emily smacked Paige on the shoulder a little harder than she usually did when she was playing around. "What? I'm just saying."

"You need to stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop downplaying the fact that you're beautiful. I don't want our kids growing up with body-image issues!"

"Well, if you don't want them to have issues, then you're going to have be the one who carries them."

"It's not funny, Paige. Remember I told you about that Developmental Psych class I took? If a mother always talked negatively about her looks, her children would see themselves in a negative light. And it doesn't matter how much the mother tells the kids that they're beautiful. It's assimilated behavior from the mother."

"I don't know, Em. It's just hard for me, okay?"

"I know that it's hard, Paige, but it's not okay. Okay?" She lovingly rubbed Paige's arm and leaned over to kiss her. "You're an amazingly attractive, sexy, hot woman. Get over it." Paige smiled weakly at her. "And don't dip your head!" Emily interjected, putting her hand under Paige's chin to prevent her from lowering it.

* * *

The first stop was Hartford. They spent time at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and the Mark Twain House. American authors weren't really Emily's thing, but she found herself getting caught up in the history. "We definitely need to come back here when we have kids," she said.

"Okay," Paige said, "but we have to hit all fifty states before we can start going back to any of them!"

"Really?" Emily asked. "When did that become a rule?"

"Just now. I don't want us to lose focus on our goals, Em."

"Hey – this may be a 'goal,' but you'd better treat me right on this trip, Paige. I know that we've got five states to hit and seven days to do it, but I don't want the old, 'Wham, bam, thank you ma'am!' You've got to romance me!"

Paige looked sweetly into her wife's eyes. "Emily, I'm _all_ about the romance. When have I ever _not_ romanced you?" she asked.

"I'm just saying. We both know how focused and goal-oriented you are. You're not just checking off a box…"

"No pun intended?"

"Seriously. Romance, Paige."

"Of course, Emily!"

* * *

Paige had booked a night at a bed and breakfast in Stonington, a little over an hour away from Hartford at roughly the halfway point to their next stop, Providence, Rhode Island. The B&B had a charming, old-world feel to it, and it reminded Emily a little of watching the old Newhart series late at night with her dad on the nostalgia TV station when she was little. Their room had a big, overstuffed four-poster bed that smelled like cotton and vanilla. There was a claw-footed bathtub with a showerhead and a wraparound curtain attached to it in the bathroom. The bathroom also ad a vase of fresh flowers and the subtle smell of mint. The first room that they were assigned had oil paintings of Revolutionary War themes on the walls, but Paige got them switched to a room with landscapes and still lifes. _Romance_.

After dinner, they took a walk down a winding trail in the nearby woods. Emily had her arms wrapped around Paige's arm, and they took their time, stopping to enjoy the scenery. Emily lifted her head off of Paige's shoulder and smiled. "You really get me, don't you?"

Paige smiled and kissed her. "Yes, just as you get me."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you know how to get me in the mood when you want to."

Emily smiled and kissed Paige, and they started walking again. A few minutes later, they came across a tree trunk that was on its side. Paige took off her coat and covered the stump so that they could sit down on it. Emily spread her arms out wide and put her head back, her face up toward the sky, as if she were an antenna, channeling all of the beauty and majesty of nature into herself. When she sat down, she wrapped herself like a vine around Paige and sighed in contentment. They sat silently enjoying the sounds and sights around them, occasionally pointing out something that they heard or observed, and pointing out the shapes that the clouds floating above them resembled.

It wasn't long before they were kissing in little their forest hideaway, their arms exploring each other's bodies the way that their bodies had been exploring the woods: slowly, reverently, and with newfound appreciation.

"Paige," Emily breathed into her ear as things got heavy, "have you ever made love outdoors?"

* * *

"Paige!"

Paige broke her rhythm for a split second. She was used to hearing Emily call out her name at this point in their lovemaking, but it sounded different this time. She shrugged it off and went back to it.

"Paige!" Emily repeated, this time nudging Paige in the shoulder. Paige looked up at her dreamily, subconsciously wiping her mouth. Emily gestured behind her. Paige looked but didn't see anything. She gave Emily a questioning look. "That squirrel! It's staring at us!" Paige looked again and then grinned at Emily. She was about to lower her head again when Emily said, "Paige, why is it staring at us?"

"I don't know, maybe it's in a squirrel fraternity?" Paige tried to keep a straight face.

"It's freaking me out! Go scare it away!"

Paige tilted her head and chuckled, doing as she was told.

"It's not funny!" Emily said, trying her best not to laugh.

"No, I'm naked in the woods, shooing away the squirrel who's freaking out my wife while we're making love. Nothing funny here!"

Emily started laughing. She had to get it out of her system before she could get back in the mood.

"I bet you can't wait to tell Hanna," Paige said, setting off a new wave of laughter. Paige was laughing, too. When their laughter trailed off, Paige started gathering up their clothes.

"What?" Emily said, "I can do this! I can do this!" Paige looked at her and shook her head, smiling. Emily rubbed Paige's shoulder with an apologetic look and mouthed the word, "Sorry," with a pout. Paige wrapped her arms around her and kissed her, to let her know that it was okay. The kiss went on a little too long, though, as Emily's hands started exploring Paige's still-naked body again. Before long, they had picked up where they had left off, but with no pesky squirrel to block them this time.

* * *

Paige ducked her head when she walked past the front desk in the lobby, as if the elderly proprietor knew exactly what their walk in the woods had devolved into. Emily just smiled and greeted her. "The woods are lovely," she said. "I can't remember ever having enjoyed an evening stroll that much." The old lady smiled. Paige's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

When they got back in the room, she burst into laughter. "Way to keep your cool, Paige! I'm glad you never had to sneak me past your dad back in high school! What do you think, that squirrel went back and told on us?"

Paige shook her head. "I don't know why I listen to you and your crazy ideas. They always end with me embarrassed."

"And me laughing," Emily added.

"So. What's the rule on dirty, outdoor sex?" Paige asked as they lay in bed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, can we cross off a state with outdoor sex? 'Cause I know that we decided that we can't count car sex or airplane sex."

"I think it's safe to say that we can count it. The earth may have moved, but that tree trunk was stationary. Go to sleep."

Paige started doing her restless-in-bed thing.

"Paige…"

Paige started doing her frisky in bed thing.

"I'm tired, Paige! And we're getting up early tomorrow!" Emily was glad that Paige couldn't see her smile.

Paige started doing that thing where her finger runs down Emily's neck all the way down to her ankles. Emily started doing that thing where she moans and wriggles. She turned around and kissed Paige just below her earlobe and let out a devilish laugh. "I knew that you weren't just going to let this beautiful room that you fought for us to get go to waste! But, seriously, Paige," Emily said between kisses, "No more new rules, okay?" More kisses. "From now on, we just do each other in each of the remaining states," Kisses, "Maybe some territories, and the other four continents."

* * *

They got up early the following morning for the drive to Rhode Island. Emily was behind the wheel for this leg. Paige was sound asleep. Emily couldn't resist running her fingers through Paige's hair. She also snapped a quick picture. Paige was just too cute when she was sleeping. Emily smiled to herself at the thought that she was the one was responsible for how wiped out Paige was.

"So, what is there to do in Providence, anyway?" Emily asked when she nudged Paige awake on the outskirts of the city

"You mean, other than the obvious?"

"Yes, Paige," Emily said with an exasperated sigh, "Other than that!"

"Well, there are a lot of cool historical sites, Brown University, of course, and all the college town stuff."

"Yeah, should be interesting. It's certainly very scenic."

They were staying at an unassuming bed and breakfast right in Providence that had a rustic feel to it. They parked the car, dropped off their luggage, and set out to see the city. They walked around the Brown campus, figuring that they would be able to find some good, cheap places to eat wherever restaurants catered to students.

After touring the town and picking up some souvenirs, they had dinner back at the B&B. Paige ordered a bottle of wine which they took back to their room and locked the door.

* * *

It became clear that it was going to be too far to go to New Hampshire and get all the way back to Pennsylvania. Since they had to go through New York anyway, they decided to divert to Worcester instead of Boston, defer New Hampshire until a future trip to the coast of Maine, and head straight to Vermont. From there, they would take a day in New York, promising themselves that they'd give the state its due on some future trip.

Paige contacted a chapter of the League of Women Voters in Worcester, and she and Emily spent their day of service going door to door in the less-well-off neighborhoods, registering voters. They spent the evening soaking in the tub, rubbing each other's feet. It was one of the low-key, slow lovemaking sessions that Paige enjoyed. It was heavy on the cuddling and contact, making her feel even more deeply connected to her wife.

* * *

They had become less ambitious as tourists by the time they hit Vermont. They no longer felt the compelled to go and see all that the cities had to offer. They were more interested in pampering themselves and catching whatever rest they could. But their bucket-list task never became perfunctory. Romance was still a prerequisite for both of them.

"It's a good thing that we're doing this while we're young," Emily pointed out on the way to New York.

"Yeah and it's a good thing that I didn't try to overachieve, for once," Paige added.

"New Hampshire will always be there," Emily agreed.

"Which state was your favorite so far?"

Emily sighed. "I'm supposed to say Massachusetts, right? Because it was rewarding, doing our public service? Actually, though, my favorite was Vermont – just chilling with my wife and resting up."

"It almost felt like our honeymoon."

"Don't kid yourself, Paige. We were _way_ more energetic on our honeymoon!"

* * *

They checked into a regular hotel in New York. Paige wanted a place where they could work out, but they ended up hitting the pool and the hot tub rather than the weight room. Still, it felt good to stretch their limbs, and they could never get too much of the water. It was no surprise, then, that they earned their X for New York with shower sex, after the hot tub got them sufficiently heated.

The following morning found them heading back to Pennsylvania for some quality time with Paige's dad before their move to Philadelphia.

"I miss my Kia," Paige said after a few hours on the road.

"Your California car?" Emily teased.

"Yes, as your dad so patronizingly liked to call it."

"Yeah, but he had a point. I mean, the car definitely had a laid-back, California vibe to it."

"Whatever!" Paige rolled her eyes, playfully slapping the steering wheel.

"Maybe that's what you miss - California, college... something else that starts with a 'C.'"

"Kia," Paige suggested. "It has the C-sound."

It was dark by the time they made it to Nick's house. Paige woke her sleeping wife and led her up the now-familiar path to the guest bedroom. The shotgun tour had taken a lot out of them, but it was worth it. After all of the crush of grad school applications and arrangements, they enjoyed having time when it was just the two of them. Even though Paige's map was the pretext, the trip was really about being together with no distractions and no obligations. On all accounts, it was Mission Accomplished.


	19. Sketches of First Year

1\. City Living

Paige and Emily were excited to be living in Philadelphia proper. Having grown up in Rosewood, Emily had made a lot of trips into the city, but actually being a resident was different. They learned that it wasn't so much like living in a large, faceless, monolithic city, but, rather, that the city was a collection of individual neighborhoods. They got to know people whom they saw on a regular basis – in the hallways, on the street, at the coffee shop – just as they would have gotten to know people in their hometowns. It didn't take long for the baristas who worked the morning shift at the coffee shop where Emily stopped after her morning runs to know her order and how she liked it prepared - just as she, when she worked at The Brew, knew her regulars.

The view of the city from their high-rise was incredible. It was a while before Emily was actually able to enjoy it without feeling queasy. She preferred to think of herself as living on the ground floor, rather than acknowledging the reality that they were so many stories above the ground. Pam Fields never got used to that. "What would happen if there was a fire, or if the power went out and you couldn't get down to the lobby on the elevators?"

It was a bit more tricky for Hanna to crash with them than they had anticipated. They had to split their two building access cards three ways, always making sure that no one got stranded without one. After a while, all of the guards at the front desk recognized the three of them, so, even if they didn't have a card with them, the guard would buzz them in. Paige and Emily began carrying their own cards, no longer having to worry about Hanna's access. On those rare occasions when someone new was working the front desk, Hanna was able to charm her way past. If worse came to worst, she could ask the guard to call one of their neighbors to come down and vouch for her. It was complicated, but they liked it better than Caleb's plan of reporting Paige or Emily's card stolen and getting it replaced; then, following directions from a YouTube video that he showed them, reprogramming the one that had been reported stolen to reactivate it.

* * *

2\. The Crush

Paige chuckled to herself, shaking her head. She was grading papers in bed while Emily lay next to her, reading for a class. "What's so funny?" Emily asked.

"Nothing. It's just – I think that one of my students may have a bit of a crush on me."

"Really?" Emily sat up, intrigued.

"Ah – it's probably nothing. Just my imagination."

"Yeah, right, Paige. You're so oblivious to people flirting with you that, if you're picking up on signals from a student, she must be about as subtle as Hanna. What's she doing, putting little hearts next to your name on her assignments? Unbuttoning her blouse when she sits in the front row?"

Paige laughed. "So you're assuming it's a girl? Do I have the mark of the lesbian on me?"

"Is it a guy?"

"Okay, it's a girl. And, no, it's nothing like that. Just a bunch of little things, like, she's really nervous when she comes up to ask me a question after class, and she giggles a lot. Or, like, in class, if I look in her direction when she's looking at me, she ducks her head really quickly. I'm sure it's nothing." Emily rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I mean, seriously – she's a freshman – a teenager. I'm _way_ too old for her."

"Yeah, Paige, because no young, impressionable girl has ever had a crush on an older, authority figure who has her life together." Emily pulled off her glasses and mockingly made a threatening face. "Am I going to have to come down there and talk some sense into her?"

"Wait – do that again!"

"Do what?" Emily said, making the mock-threating face again.

"No, not that. Take your glasses off again. Because, you're really rocking the sexy librarian look," she said, as she put the glasses back on Emily's face, "but the way you took them off…" Paige leaned in and kissed her.

"Yeah, Paige. Don't try to distract me and change the subject."

"I'm not trying to! I wish you _would_ come down to class!"

"You seriously want me to threaten this poor girl?"

"No, not threaten," Paige said, as though she were explaining things to a five-year-old. "Just come down and bring me my lunch, or something, and give me a kiss. Throw her off the trail – let her see that I'm with my hot wife so that she'll drop it."

"Oh yeah," Emily said, rolling her eyes again. "That's a good plan."

"So you're not going to do it?" Paige whined. Her eyes were saying, "Pleeeeeease?"

"You actually want me to come down there and act out a kissing scene so that you don't have to talk to this girl like an adult?" Paige just smiled and widened her eyes hopefully. "Ugh. You're such a child. Fine, Paige," Emily said, doing her best to recreate the sexy way that she had taken off her glasses before. "I'll come down to your class and give you the sexy librarian routine, to throw this woman off your trail."

"Yay!" Paige muttered under her breath with a huge smile, clapping her hands before she pulled Emily in for a hug.

* * *

3\. Blues for Hanna

Paige and Emily's phones buzzed at the same time. Paige pulled hers out and read the three words of the group text from Hanna: "We drink tonight." She showed Emily her screen and said, "You're fielding this one."

Emily fished her phone from her pocketbook and replied. "Good news or bad?"

That evening found them in a bar near their apartment, known by students for its cheap drinks. It was also known to attract a lesbian clientele, meaning that it was more popular with Hanna than with her roommates.

Hanna was drowning her sorrows.

"This long distance thing really sucks!" she whined, a little too drunk and a little too loud. "This has been the longest year of my life."

"Well," Paige suggested, ever the fix-it girl, "Caleb always gets those low airfares. Why don't you fly out there and spend some time with him?"

"Yeah, right, Paige. And is Daddy McCullers going to pay for it?" Paige winced, and Hanna realized how cutting the remark was, implying that Paige was a spoiled brat whose father made everything better for her with his money. She grabbed Paige's hand in apology. "Sorry," she said, oozing drunk sincerity. "But, anyway, Caleb is on full lockdown out there. Even if I _could_ go, I wouldn't be able to spend any time with him. And that would be one hell of an expensive booty call." Emily grabbed Hanna's hands in sympathy. "God, I miss him so much," Hanna continued. And, 'Caleb Jr.' and 'Turbo Caleb Jr.' can only do so much for a girl," she concluded with no hint of humor or compunction in her tone.

Paige looked across the table at Emily, who nodded in agreement. "Listen, Hanna. I'll take the futon tonight." They had learned from past experience that the best thing for Hanna when she got like this was for her to cuddle up in bed for the night with Emily.

"No way, Paige." Paige was preparing to rebut Hanna's argument that she couldn't kick Paige out of her marriage bed, but Hanna continued, "I'm going to need _both_ of you in bed with me tonight." Their server, who was just coming over to check on them, dropped her tray on hearing this. Paige dipped her head. Emily smiled apologetically and helped retrieve the tray. Ever oblivious to the effect that her words have on anyone around her, Hanna just held up her glass, signifying that she was ready for another round.

* * *

4\. Hanna's Drunken Dream

**A/N – Pardon the interruption. I just have to point out that this is a _dream_. A _drunken dream_. Under no circumstances, drunk or sober, would _anyone_ in my Paily universe _ever_ behave like this.**

**lovepaily, I added this sketch for you. Your persistence wore me down. I hope that you're satisfied. :)  
**

**Anyone else reading this, I sincerely apologize. Please, just skip down to sketch #5. :\  
**

This is so wrong _, Hanna kept thinking. But, somehow, that realization was only making her hotter. Her body was writhing under the impact of Paige's mouth thrusting in and out of her; her hands were fisted into Paige's hair as it tickled up and down her inner thighs. Hanna tugged on that hair, forcing Paige harder and deeper into herself. Hanna would have been screaming, but Emily's mouth was all over hers, sloppily, drunkenly chasing after her tongue while Emily's hands twiddled her nipples. Paige's hands seemed to be all over Hanna's thighs and abs. It felt as if every nerve ending on Hanna's body was being stimulated simultaneously._

_Hanna realized that it was no longer Emily's mouth on top of her mouth, but Emily's other lips that were squirming above her, and she hungrily shoved her tongue inside as Emily moved in circles over her face. The taste was making drunk Hanna lose even more of her sense. She moved her hands up from Paige's head to squeeze Emily's ample ass and massage well-toned legs. Her hands worked their way up the curves at Emily's side, stopping at her breasts, which she kneaded with sloppy abandon before continuing to Emily's shoulders and neck. Emily's head was thrown back and she was making primal sounds. Hanna grabbed her hair and yanked, causing Emily to squirm all the more violently atop Hanna's face._

_Hanna knew that she couldn't take much more stimulation. She felt herself about to explode, when, without warning, Paige's hands stopped, and she backed her head away. "Flip," was all that she said, and, all of a sudden, Hanna found herself on her knees, Emily now squirming beneath her; Paige's hands rubbing circles over her ass as though she were preparing a target._

_And then it hit her._

_She lifted her head and screamed as, out of the blue, she felt Caleb Jr. being plunged deep inside her. She barely had the opportunity to register the feel of this new stimulation before Emily grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back down to resume its assault on Emily's center, which was bucking up and down to intensify the impact of Hanna's spasming tongue._

_All the while, Paige was thrusting the buzzing Caleb Jr. ever deeper within her, kissing, licking, and biting at the backs of her thighs, smoothing her free hand over Hanna's ass and spanking it occasionally. Her stomach tightened and she could feel the surging deep within. She lost control of herself, but Emily kept doggedly pumping Hanna's head up and down inside herself, Hanna's tongue operating on autopilot, fueled, somehow, but the grunts and moans emanating from Emily._

_She felt Emily tense up beneath her, and felt one of Emily's hands leave her head. Emily took that hand into her mouth and clamped down on it, trying in vain to stifle her cries, somehow. The upper half of her body was virtually still, but the lower half was twerking wildly off of the bed. Hanna reached up, desperately trying to find Emily's glorious breasts, and, finding them, she cupped them in her hands, smoothing her thumbs over the rock-hard nipples. Emily's hips moved even faster, and Hanna felt a gush as Emily's orgasm exploded under her tongue._

_Emily's body went limp, and Hanna started to relax, only to receive an intense reminder that Paige was still working her from behind. Emily slid out from under her and stood with Paige behind Hanna, kissing Paige deeply as she caressed her ass and thighs. She dropped to her knees and, creating space between Paige and the bed, went down on her. The moans that Paige was making were getting Hanna off. She craned her neck in an attempt to see what was happening, but then, her eyes closed, all went white, and her body collapsed in pure ecstasy._

Emily emerged from the bathroom and gasped at the sight and sounds of Hanna writhing underneath the sheets, obviously having very pleasant dreams. She quickly retreated back into the bathroom and shut the door. Paige stalled the movement of her toothbrush and gave her wife a puzzled look. "We're sleeping on the futon tonight," Emily said with authority. When Paige finished brushing her teeth, Emily grab her by the hand, using her other hand to cover Paige's eyes as they crept through the bedroom out into the Hanna Room.

"Emily?" Paige wondered, once they were out of the danger zone.

"We are never to speak of this!" Emily replied.

Although Paige's eyes had been covered, the noises that she heard during their escape from the bedroom were unmistakable. "Yes," she agreed. "We are never to speak of this."

* * *

5\. Paige's Birthday

"So, where are we heading tonight?" Paige asked as Emily was going through her pre-going-out ritual of trying on everything in her closet.

"I got reservations at Porcini – that Italian place near Rittenhouse? Great food, and not too overpriced."

"Oh, yeah. They'll love it."

One of the advantages of going to school in Philadelphia was that they were close enough that Emily's family could come celebrate Paige's birthday, even when it fell on a Tuesday. Her parents met them at their building, and the three of them piled into the back seat. It was a bit cramped, but it was better than trying to find parking for two cars in Center City.

After circling and circling like vultures looking for a spot to open up, Wayne decided that free parking wasn't worth it and just pulled into the nearest garage. "If I had known that I wouldn't have to park on the street, I would've brought my Jeep, so that you three would have more room in the back," he said. As they exited the garage, he put a hand on Paige's shoulder and said, "The parking fee counts as part of your gift, Kiddo!"

Conversation over dinner was pleasant, with Pam filling Emily in on the ins and outs of Rosewood, and Wayne updating Paige on his progress at rebuilding the Camaro. Whenever Hanna felt left out, she would chime in with something outrageous to get the attention beck onto her.

After they settled into their meal, while they waited for dessert, they pulled out Paige's presents. Emily grabbed Paige's arm, knowing how insecure she was prone to feel when she was the center of attention. Paige smiled at Emily, to let her know that she was coping. She reached for Emily's gift just as Hanna shouted, "Open mine first!" Paige looked at Emily with a shrug and began taking the tissue paper out of the gift bag that Hanna had thrust in front of her.

"Oh, no way! This is perfect!" Paige said, pulling out a woman's cut Pittsburgh Steelers jersey and looking at the name and number on the back. "Number 62 – Dan McCullers!"

"It's from Aria and Spence, too," Hanna explained.

"Just don't wear it in _my_ house," Wayne joked. Paige never tired of mentioning the fact that her Steelers had won six Super Bowls, whereas Wayne's Philadelphia Eagles had won none.

Same state, don't hate!" Paige replied.

"Is that legit? They really have a McCullers?"

"I know, right?" Hanna said. "I didn't even know what a McCullers jersey was when Nick suggested it."

"I wish _I_ had known," Emily said. "I could've been teasing you about it all these years!"

Paige reached for the present from Emily's parents. She laughed at the message in the birthday card and held up the iTunes gift card that was enclosed, thanking them. She unwrapped their gift, a book on meditation and life-balance. She leafed through the pages, "Wow! This is great! I'll definitely be digging into this." She hugged Pam as she said thanks.

"And, saving the best for last," she reached for Emily's gift. "Aw, that's sweet," she said, pulling Emily in for a hug and a peck on the cheek as she read her birthday card. Emily smiled in anticipation as Paige opened the envelope within the card, revealing two tickets to "Annie" at the Academy of Music. She pulled Emily in for another hug and kiss, "Oh, my God – How did you know?"

"Yeah," Hanna deadpanned, "Because you only mentioned it like three thousand times after you saw that commercial!"

Emily eagerly pushed the wrapped gift into Paige's hands, and Paige set about unwrapping it. Emily lost patience and ripped off the paper, exposing a framed picture of her and Paige, dressed for the beach, kissing in front of Paige's California Kia. Paige gasped in delight, hugging Emily again. "This is the best thing that I've ever gotten!" she said with a kiss. "I'd forgotten all about this picture."

"Well, I trolled facebook for pictures that we were tagged in, and when I saw this one, I knew that it was the one. I called Vicki, and she still had it on her camera." Paige kissed her again, running her finger over their outline in the picture.

Back in the apartment, Paige grazed her teeth across the base of Emily's neck. Emily turned around, putting her hands on Paige's chest. "Someone's frisky tonight," she said with a kiss.

"That's because I know my wife." Paige returned the kiss. "You give me the world's greatest birthday present, and you expect me to put out." Paige kissed her again.

"Oh, Paige," Emily said between kisses. "Ever the romantic! That's what attracted me to you in the first place."

* * *

6\. Christmastime in the City

Paige and Hanna took a step back and reviewed their handiwork. "What do you think?" Paige asked.

"Great!" Hanna replied, her eyes lit up in wonder.

"It can't just be great! It has to be perfect!"

Over the course of their years together, Paige and Emily had amassed quite a collection of Christmas decorations, albeit, nothing in comparison to what Emily's parents had in Rosewood. In their time together, Emily had gotten accustomed to coming home some day near Christmas and finding that Paige had decorated their place to surprise her. Although she knew that it was coming, she was always amazed.

This year, though, Paige knew that it had to be extra special. Because of their workload, they would only be able to spend two nights in Rosewood. Christmas with family meant more to Emily than almost anything in the world, and Paige knew that she was disappointed. Paige wasn't trying to replace the family experience or to start a new tradition. She just wanted Emily to have some true Christmas joy.

Hanna hugged Paige until she could feel her calm down. "It's perfect," she assured her. "She's going to love it."

Paige's calm didn't last long, as they soon heard Emily's key in the lock. Hanna and Paige tripped over each other, trying to get out of the other's way. Paige didn't know whether she wanted to hide or to be there to see Emily's reaction. Hanna had the presence of mind to hit the light switch.

Emily was surprised to find the apartment dark. She had been texting Paige, and she was sure that Paige was at home. "Hello?" she called out tentatively as she hit the light switch.

Once she poked her head around the door, she dropped her keys, put her hand to her mouth, and let out a gasp. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" She couldn't find any other words for several seconds. She was looking desperately for someone to hold onto, when she finally saw Paige, grinning apprehensively. She ran over to engulf her in a bear hug. "Paige!"

"And Hanna," Paige admitted. Emily reached out and expanded the hug to Hanna. When she opened her eyes, she gasped again at what she saw over Hanna's shoulder.

"Pingy! Wingy! What are you guys doing here?"

"Paige kidnapped them!" Hanna said, and Paige jabbed an elbow into her side.

"Your dad dropped them off," Paige explained. "He made me swear that we would drive them back when we went home for Christmas."

Emily started crying, and Paige's heart and head dipped. She hadn't considered that seeing her favorite decorations would make Emily feel sad about missing most of the Christmas goings on at home. Emily lifted up her head and gave her a deep, soul-felt kiss. "This is the sweetest, most beautiful thing that anyone has ever done for me, Paige."

"And Han-" Paige started to say before Hanna nudged her shoulder, tilting her head toward the bedroom to suggest that Paige take her wife and their celebration behind closed doors. Before they did, Emily gave Hanna a hug. Then, she knelt on the carpet to hug Pingy, Wingy, Snowy, and the Baby Jesus. Paige, looking on at the pure innocence and love that Emily embodied, felt herself falling in love with her all over again.

Emily wiped her cheek on her sleeve and wrapped her arms around Paige's waist. She nestled her head into Paige's shoulder and held her tight all the way to the bedroom.

* * *

7\. Christmas in Rosewood

It snowed Christmas Eve. Ordinarily, Emily loved a white Christmas, but it made for slow driving. She, Paige, and Emily made it out of the city as early as they could, but they didn't make it to Rosewood until after 2:00 in the morning on Christmas day. "At least we're here, our family is here, and we're safe," Emily said.

It wasn't just her family that was there. Nick McCullers had driven out, since Paige and Emily weren't going to have time to drive out to see him this year. He had actually been there for a few days, having formed quite a bond with Pam and Wayne Fields over the course of their daughters' relationship.

Everyone slept in on Christmas morning except Col. (Retired) Wayne Fields. He couldn't stay in bed past 5:00 AM if he tried. When he got back from his run, he found Paige in the kitchen, a cup of coffee brewed and ready for him. Even though they had gotten into Rosewood only a matter of hours before, Paige was wired and awake. She and Wayne sat reading the paper and occasionally making small talk and laughing softly until Emily entered the kitchen, her hair half falling out of its bun and her eyes half closed, to drag her wife back into the living room, back into her sleeping bag beside Emily's in front of the Christmas tree.

* * *

8\. First Anniversary

Paige and Emily got up early the day after Christmas. "Boxing Day," Emily had taken to calling it, although she new little about it beyond the name. Of course, it was a significant day for the two of them: Their first anniversary. They headed to the McCullers lake house. It was closed down for the season, but it was a place where they could be together and alone.

Nick assured Paige that there was firewood at the house, even though they weren't expecting anyone to be there. It was Nick's way; making sure that the house was provisioned in case some poor traveler got stranded in the woods and needed shelter. Emily smiled, understanding a little more why Paige turned out to be as caring as she was.

Paige lit a fire and they made themselves comfortable in front of it. They did little that day, other than be with each other. They had decided not to exchange presents; instead, putting the money that they would have spent into their travel fund.

"Mmm, I love making love with you in front of a fire," Emily smiled as she huddled with Paige under a blanket.

"Mental note," Paige said between kisses, "Wherever we live, we have to have a fireplace!"

"I love being married to you."

"It's been great, Em. I love you," Paige said with a kiss. "So much." Another kiss.

"I love you, too, Paige. Thank you for everything."

When evening came, they shuttered the cabin and headed back to Rosewood to pick up Hanna for the ride back to campus.


	20. Winter Escape

Winter seemed unwilling to give way to Spring that year. The constant sub-freezing temperatures and the barrage of snow had Paige and Emily looking back fondly to their years of studying in California. "Remember Pat, the nursing student whom we met on our flight to Hawaii?" Emily asked. "She had the right idea!"

Paige agreed. "Yeah. Hawaii's sounding pretty good right about now."

Paige and Emily weren't the only ones missing California. Caleb was, too. His internship had ended in January, and he made it back to Pennsylvania in time to catch a couple of late-season blizzards.

With Caleb's return, Paige and Emily said good-bye to Hanna, who moved in with him in a little place in South Philly. Hanna's leaving definitely left a hole in the apartment. Paige and Emily were happy for their friends, of course, but it was hard. Winter seemed that much more oppressive without Hanna's sunny disposition. Sure, being around her every day could get to be too much, but there was no question that things were brighter and more enjoyable with Hanna there. They had taken for granted the fact that they could see her every day. Once she moved, they had to plan ahead if they wanted to see each other. Even though they were in the same city, South Philly was another neighborhood entirely. It may as well have been the other side of the world.

The seasonal blues only compounded Emily's frustration at her and Paige's divergent schedules. "I miss _us_ ," she whined to Paige. "I miss being on the swim team together, when we were always _doing_ things together; always _being_ together. Now, I barely see you when we're both awake."

Paige held her closer as they lay together in bed, Emily's arm wrapped over the top of Paige's waist. "I know. It _is_ hard. We just have to carve out some time when we can be together."

"When, Paige?" Emily sat up, trying to contain her annoyance. "We're both so busy. And our breaks don't even coincide. You'd think that both schools would take Spring Break at the same time," she vented. "There's no way that we're going to get to cross any states off this year."

Paige pulled Emily back into her arms and put a kiss on he forehead. "We'll figure something out, Em. I promise." Emily looked up at her and tried to smile. She really wanted to believe that.

"I'm glad that we still fall asleep together, at least," Emily said after thinking it over a while. "If you start staying up all night studying in the Hanna room..." She didn't even know how to finish that thought.

Paige hated seeing Emily frustrated like this. She knew that she would have to come up with something. They both needed it.

* * *

"Emily!" Paige called as she opened the door and tossed her keys onto the counter. She'd gotten pretty good at getting them into the bowl on the first shot.

"In here!" Emily called out from the bedroom, where she was propped up on some pillows, typing in a paper. She closed the laptop and, hearing the excitement in her wife's voice, sat up on her knees in the bed.

"When's your Reading Week?"

"The first week of March. Why?"

"That's PERFECT!" Paige yelled, pumping her fists. Emily scooted closer to the edge of the bed, smiling broadly, curious about what had Paige so pumped up. "I got called in to talk to my department head this morning."

 _Ooh. This isn't sounding good._ "Everything okay?" Emily asked.

Paige nodded quickly and continued. "Apparently, I was supposed to be taking off-campus seminars all year long for external education, as part of my fellowship. It's like budgeted in. And if I don't use it before the end of the term, it goes away. Dr. Stanton said that it looks really bad if they have to give any of the budgeted money back. It makes it look as if they were padding their budget, so it's harder to get the funds next year. So, that leaves me with funding for a year's worth of seminars that I have to spend before the end of term." Emily kept nodding her head, smiling in anticipation for the punchline.

"So, I've been looking on-line, and guess who found a seminar in Sydney!"

Emily hugged her, overflowing with enthusiasm at her wife's good fortune. "So, you get to go back to Sydney? That's really great, Paige!" Emily didn't think for a moment how lousy it would be stuck in winter in Philly without her wife. She was too busy being excited for Paige.

" _We_ get to go back to Sydney, Emily. I mean, you don't have to be on campus for Reading Week, right?" Emily shook her head. "So, the fellowship will pay for my airfare, hotel, and meals. We'll just have to dip into our travel/car fund for your tickets – if you're okay with that?" Before Paige knew what had happened, Emily's lips were on her, as she dropped down onto the bed, pulling Paige on top of her. Paige pulled their lips apart. "Wait, Em! You haven't heard the best part!"

"It gets better?" Emily asked, pushing Paige's hair out from in front of her face.

"Do you know when Mardi Gras is this year?" Emily squealed, wrapping her arms around Paige's neck and pulling her close again, rocking them back and forth on the bed. "We get to get away from the winter, we get some away together, just the two of us, and – Mardi Gras in Sydney!"

"Could life get any better?" Emily squealed.

Paige waited for things to settle down before she dropped the bomb. "Okay. Now, the bad news." Emily was still smiling. Nothing would take the smile off of her face. "It's not going to be like our honeymoon. It's going to be more like the Shotgun Tour. We're going to have two marathon flight days. And we can't afford Cuddle Class."

Emily sighed. The travel days would be rough, but it would be worth it. Paige was looking at her with worry in her eyes, hoping for a response from Emily to show that she was still excited for the trip. Emily let out another sigh, this one melodramatically longer than the first. "Well, I _guess_ I can put up with two marathon travel days with you," she deadpanned. "I promised to stick with you for better or for worse, after all," she added, winking at Paige before she corralled her for another, deeper kiss.

"I'm going to try my best, Em," Paige assured her.

Emily kissed her again. "Damn right, you are!" she teased. "Paige, seriously. It's going to be great. I'm not worried in the slightest. Nothing is going to ruin this trip for me - for _us_!"

* * *

The trip out to Sydney was challenging. Paige was doing her best to stay present with Emily, but what she really wanted was some time to herself to restore her energy. She found herself checking out of their conversations, just saying "Uh huh" and "Yeah" as she let her mind go blank. Emily tried to take it in stride, although she really did wish that they could enjoy the trip, not just endure it for the sake of the destination. Being in a foul mood wouldn't get them there any faster, so they might as well enjoy each other's company. She realized that it wasn't that simple for Paige, though. She pressed a kiss onto Paige's shoulder and laid her head down upon it. Paige reached around and rubbed Emily on her outer shoulder. She really did love the feeling of Emily's head on her shoulder. It comforted her; grounded her. She kissed the top of Emily's head and rested her cheek there, closing her eyes and, finally, relaxing.

* * *

"Wow!" Paige said as they lined up to go through Immigration and Customs in Sydney. "This is a lot more crowded than last time!" There was excitement, not irritation, in her tone.

"I told you that this was a big deal," Emily reminded her, smiling.

"This is great, though!" Paige was looking around at all of the couples, some families, all of them being who they were, without having to hide anything. Paige had never been one to worry about sexuality, never really having had to defend or justify her relationship with Emily. She never thought twice about anyone's sexuality, and had assumed that this was the way that every intelligent, educated person felt, although she knew that bullying existed among the immature and the ignorant. Consequently, she was a little skeptical of "lesbian" things – lesbian bars, lesbian dances, lesbian dating sites. But being right in the middle of a community – people united by and celebrating who they were – was eye-opening. It reminded her of what had impressed her so much on base at Fort Hood with Emily's dad: That sense of being part of something bigger than oneself; the camaraderie; a common bond. She had never thought of sexuality in those terms, but, here, surrounded by it, it was obvious.

"You're in a good mood, all of a sudden," Emily commented, smiling.

"I don't know. It just feels as if I'm with my brothers and sisters, you know? I know that it sounds corny, but it just feels great." Paige couldn't stand still. She was bouncing – practically dancing – in her joy. Emily was smiling at the way that Paige was smiling. It was contagious. She just wanted to give Paige a kiss. And she did.

"First time?" a voice behind them asked.

Paige and Emily wheeled around to see a middle-aged couple smiling at them. "Yes," Emily replied. "You've been here before?"

"This is our fourth time," the slightly taller man replied. "We came here on our honeymoon, and we've been coming back ever since."

Emily put her hand on Paige's chest. "We were here around New Year's on our honeymoon! I told my wife that we should've had our honeymoon at Mardi Gras!" Paige gave Emily a side-hug, knocking her off balance. She just loved hearing Emily call her "my wife."

The two couples chatted about where they were staying and what the best things to do for Mardi Gras were. Paige and Emily never did get their names, or where they were from, but they shared a laugh, and it made the wait seem not so bad. The men promised them a drink, if they ran into them again.

* * *

The hotel room was small – quite a downgrade from the suite that they had for their last visit. But they had spent many nights in less elaborate accommodations when they traveled with the Stanford swim team. And, because pretty much everyone was there for the same reason, there was a jovial, college-dorm atmosphere. Paige and Emily certainly weren't complaining. They were together, away from campus and from winter, and there was nothing to do but celebrate. Well, for Emily, at least. Paige still had the seminar to attend.

It's a funny thing about the kind of people who would schedule a seminar in Sydney during the Mardi Gras celebration. It almost seemed as if they weren't expecting people to take things seriously or even to attend the sessions. Paige's seminar provided very little distraction for her and Emily. They were able to take part in several of the activities in the week leading up to the parade on Saturday.

Emily was proud. Paige had certainly never been shy or silent about her preference, but this was the first time that Emily saw her embracing it as a cause, and really getting involved.

The atmosphere in the city was electric. People from all over the world were celebrating their freedom and love. Every bar, every restaurant, every bus stop was an opportunity to make new friends.

They made time for an exhibition on the history of gay rights in Sydney and the origins of the Mardi Gras celebration, they sampled some offerings from the film festival, and they watched the drag races at Bondi Beach.

But these were all just preliminaries. Nothing compared to the main event: The parade on Saturday night.

"I've heard of Out and Proud, but this is ridiculous!" Paige's comment was as much about the crowd as it was about the parade itself. They had ventured to the Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena while they were at Stanford, and Paige had been to New York City for the Thanksgiving Day parade, but this was on another level. They were both caught up in the moment, dancing, drinking, waving various articles of clothing.

Paige cheered wildly when the Dykes on Bikes rode by. Emily looked back at her excitement and kissed her. Paige pointed to herself, then to Emily, then to the bikers, as if to say, "That could be us, someday." Emily vigorously shook her head no. As hot as Paige looked on a motorcycle, and as hot as Emily got riding with her, there was no way that she would let her wife and the future mother of her children roll that way.

The crowd grew more raucous and the floats grew more outrageous as the parade stretched deeper into the night. Emily lost her voice from all the screaming and cheering, and her lips were bruised from all the times that she had been moved to kiss – and outright make out with – Paige. They had a long day of travel ahead of them on Sunday and an early flight, but they figured that they would be sleeping for most of the journey, anyway, so they stayed late into the night and enjoyed it. After all, a third trip to Sydney didn't seem very likely. They wanted to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Emily had been feeling dance-y all night. She was riding a wave of excitement that was more than just the vibe of Mardi Gras. She was excited to see the development in Paige. For the first time, Paige seemed to be embracing the movement; thinking beyond her relationship with Emily to something bigger. Seeing Paige so passionate stirred passions in Emily as well. She couldn't help the subtle touches and not so subtle kisses. Paige just kept that big smile on her face, her eyes wondering what had gotten into her wife; her lips and her senses not complaining in the least.

When they finally got back to the hotel, they knew that they should really get some sleep, but their bodies had other plans. They were on each other immediately once they got into to their room. They had passed many couples in the lobby, in the elevator, and in the hallways who had even less self-control. It was hard, if not impossible, to avoid being swept up in the sexual exuberance of Mardi Gras.

"Wow," Paige slurred between sloppy kisses. "If I had known that this is what happens when you're at a huge celebration with tens of thousands of half-naked, carousing gays, I would've taken you years ago."

Emily couldn't wrap her drunken brain cells around that statement. "What does that even mean?" she asked, completely confused.

"I don't… I don't.. I don't even know what the fuck I'm trying to say, Emily. I think I'm a little drunk."

"Then stop talking and get back to kissing me," Emily said, putting action behind her words.

* * *

"I thought that my days of pulling all-nighters were long behind me," Emily said. Once she and Paige finally got started packing, it was too late for them to try to get any sleep. They were afraid that, if they lay down, they wouldn't be able to get up in time to get to the airport. Once they got everything ready to travel, they sat for a moment. Paige was out as soon as her back hit the couch. Emily took her head into her lap and stroked her hair, eyeing the clock like a hawk lest she, too, fall asleep in the 45 minutes that they had to wait before they had to head downstairs for the shuttle.

Paige was groggy when Emily woke her up. Emily grabbed all of their luggage and led her half-asleep wife into the elevator and out to the waiting area for the van. She let Paige sleep on her shoulder all the way to the airport. Paige wasn't fully conscious until they got up to the ticket counter. Both of them were fast asleep, leaning onto each other across the armrest, well before the airplane pulled back from the gate.

Monday was rough. Emily was able to skip classes, but Paige had a 9 AM class to teach and two lab sessions to monitor in the afternoon. Still, they wouldn't have traded that experience for anything. The high from the trip carried them through the day, but it wasn't long before reality and routine set in again, and they were back to the daily grind of grad school.


	21. Solo Flight

"This sucks," Emily commented, half-heartedly putting things into her suitcase. "Are you sure that you can't get away?"

"I would if I could." Paige put a sympathetic arm on her shoulder. "But you know my commitments with this fellowship." Emily pouted and Paige gave her a kiss. "You know that I hate this just as much as you do."

Emily sighed. Under other circumstances, she would have been excited about her summer course in Florence. As it was, it just seemed hollow. She didn't want the experience without Paige there to share it with her. "How did I let you talk me into this?"

Paige started to defend the decision, "Emily, this is a great opportunity for you – "

"I know, I know," Emily cut her off. "I know all of the reasons that it makes sense for me to go," she conceded. "It still sucks."

"I know that it does, Em." Paige gave her a hug and started refolding the top layer of clothes in Emily's suitcase, the _Paige_ way. "Why the fuck are they doing an English Lit class in fucking Italy?"

Emily laughed. "I guess for the same reason that they have a Rehabilitative Therapy seminar in Sydney over Mardi Gras."

"Oh, I get it!" Paige said, mockingly. She kissed Emily, rocking her back and forth in her arms. "One of _those_ classes!"

"You'd better find a weekend to come out to see me."

"You know it."

Emily sighed. "We can do this, right," she asked as she took a break from packing. She sniffled as she turned toward Paige and rested her hands on her chest.

"Yes," Paige soothed. "It's going to suck, but we can do it." Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's waist. She lifted a hand to smooth the hair out of Emily's face. "Hey - Hanna and Caleb made it a whole year. We can do six weeks!"

Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she tossed some more things into her bag. "You know what?" she said ,thinking about Hanna and Caleb, "Maybe I can get Hanna to come and stay with you while I'm away."

Paige laughed. "For what purpose?" Emily just gave her a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means!" Paige shook her head. "You ... you don't do alone so well."

"Emily..." Emily's expression was firm. "I don't _need_ a babysitter," Paige protested.

"Paige, we both know that you by yourself for a month and a half is not the best arrangement."

Paige sighed in surrender. "Okay, but Hanna? She'll end up driving me crazy, or I'll end up killing her. Maybe Caleb, though?"

"Maybe. But everyone at the front desk already knows Hanna. It would be easier for her to get in."

"Can't you just leave your access card?"

"Oh, yeah. But, you know, if Caleb's here, Hanna's going to be here, too."

Paige scrunched her face. "I hadn't thought of that. God – I know that I couldn't handle the two of them and their incessant PDA while I'm here by myself, missing you."

Emily thought some more. "Maybe my Mom would come stay with you."

Paige glared at her. "You did not seriously suggest having your _mommy_ come to take care of me while you're in Florence."

"She wouldn't mind, Paige!"

Paige put her hands on Emily's shoulders and stared into her eyes. "First of all, she hates the city, and, second of all, don't get your _mommy_ to come watch over me as if I'm your child instead of your wife."

Emily cupped Paige's cheek with her hand. She didn't want to insult Paige, but she really didn't want Paige to be all by herself. "But, I _worry_ about you, Babe," she said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Maybe I can get Pru to come out for a couple of weeks." Paige was saying that to make Emily feel better, but, at the same time, now that Emily had brought it up, she realized that she really didn't want to be home alone.

"Oh, that's a great idea! You two could use some time together. Can she get away?"

"I think so. I don't think that she has any classes this summer. She probably just went back to her job at the bookstore." After a second, Paige remembered, "You know that she's dating, right?"

"Oh, really?" Emily was intrigued. "Anyone I'd know?"

"You remember Sean Ackard?"

"Do I remember your ex?" Emily laughed. "Whoa, that's too weird," she added, once it hit her.

"It's even weirder: Sean's little brother, Luke."

Emily quirked an eyebrow. "How little?"

"Not that little. Like three years. Apparently, he's had a thing for her for some time, but, you know. She was a high school senior. She wouldn't give a freshman the time of day."

"It's funny how three years seems like such a big deal at that age."

"Yeah. Now, it doesn't seem like much."

"Are they official?"

"I don't know. They're not like plastered all over each other's facebook, or anything, but I know that he's taken her to some big things. You know, couple things - prom, formals."

"His hot older woman!" Emily's eyes lit up. "We should double with them sometime," she said, clapping her hands together. Paige shook her head, grinning. "What?"

"That's so you!"

"What is?"

"You always want to double as soon as you find out someone's dating. Like Bob and Vicki - remember?"

Emily hugged her. "Can you blame me for wanting everyone to be as happy as you and I are?"

"I guess not," Paige laughed.

* * *

Paige stayed with Emily all through the check-in line, wrapping her in her arms for most of that time. She didn't care what anybody thought. She was going to be away from her wife for six long weeks, and she wanted to be as close to her as possible for the few minutes that they had together. She walked with her all the way up to the security line, where they said their good-byes with a long hug and kiss. Both of them had decided that they would not cry. "We can do this," Emily reminded her. She was reminding herself, as well.

Emily tried to leaf through a magazine as she waited at the gate. She couldn't concentrate. She took out the packet from her department with the information on their itinerary, the accommodations, and the city and surrounding areas. She was getting excited about the course of study and about Florence, but that excitement was tempered with sadness over being alone. She scanned the room, looking for anyone whom she recognized from her department, but she didn't see anyone. She imagined that they had left earlier, to spend an extra day or two in Italy. Emily had preferred to spend those days with Paige.

The flights were rough. Over the past few years, Emily had largely gotten over her fear of flying, but she had also grown accustomed to flying with Paige, holding Paige's hand and leaning on her shoulder. She sighed as she took her seat by the window. It was going to be a long six weeks.

* * *

Back in Philadelphia, Paige wasn't doing much better. She called Pru as she drove back from the airport. Their conversation had been brief: Paige explained that Emily was traveling and invited Pru to come and spend time with her, and Pru responded with two words, "I'm there!"

Paige tidied up a bit in preparation for Pru's visit. Pru got packed and on the road within the hour. When she called Paige to let her know that she was half an hour away, Paige put in an order for Chinese food.

"Ahhhh! Paige!" Pru squealed when Paige opened the door. "How are you? You're looking great! Married life agrees with you! I can't believe that I haven't seen you since you got hitched!"

"Pru, we had dinner after our honeymoon, when Emily and I drove out to be with my Dad."

"Oh, that's right. Well, I haven't seen you in your new place. Oh, my God! It's incredible! Let me see this view I've heard so much about!"

Their dinner arrived, and the conversation was much the same. Pru was bubbling over with enthusiasm about every little thing. Paige couldn't stop smiling. She hadn't realized how much she had missed her best friend. "It's really great to be able to spend time with you, Pru. Thanks so much for agreeing to drop everything and come hang out with me."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world! I've always wanted to live in a high rise in the big city!" Paige scoffed. "Oh, and I really wanted some quality time with my bestie, too. – I suppose."

After dinner, Paige uncorked a bottle of wine, and she and Pru sat in the Hanna Room and got caught up. Paige filled Pru in on her married life and grad school, and Pru filled Paige in on her relationship with Luke and her own studies. When Pru started to yawn, Paige gathered up their glasses and showed Pru where she could get changed for bed.

"I've got the futon, I guess."

Paige laughed. Pru looked at her, confused. "Pru, you're sleeping in the bedroom, with me, of course. Same as always."

"I don't know, Paige. That was before you were married. I'm not getting in bed with you when your wife's out of town!"

Paige rolled her eyes. "What's the matter? Are you afraid that this lesbian thing is contagious?" she asked, her tone heavily sarcastic.

"Oh, please, Paige. Maybe if I were getting ready to climb into bed with Emily instead of you!"

"What's that supposed to mean? You have a thing for my wife?"

"It means, Emily's _way_ hotter than you," Pru replied, wagging a finger in front of Paige's face as she repeated in a whisper, "Way hotter! Like, seriously, I don't know how you managed to bag a hot wife like that. And besides…"

"Besides what?"

"She's already proven her ability to convert a hetero woman!"

Paige grabbed Pru by the neck and pulled her toward the bedroom. "All right! All right! I'll sleep in your marriage bed. But no funny business!" she concluded, pointing an accusing finger at Paige. Once they had settled in, Pru insisted on sending Emily a picture. "Don't kill me because your wife misses you so much that she can't sleep alone! – Your PLATONIC friend (and hers), Prudence."

* * *

Emily got a laugh out of the picture when it came through. It made her feel good to know that her wife would be okay even though she wasn't there to take care of her. She was still looking at it, her hand touching the screen, missing Paige, when Blake, her roommate for the duration of the program, walked in.

"Ooh la la! Lesbian love! Who's the hottie?" she asked.

"That's my wife," Emily said, wiping her eyes with a sniffle.

"Oh, my God, Emily! I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Are you okay?"

Emily shook her head, grabbing a tissue and smiling weakly. "It's not like that. I'm just missing her, that's all."

Blake looked confused. "Oh, so…"

"That's her best friend, Pru. They're just being goofballs, trying to cheer me up." Emily decided that she wasn't going to get into the whole story about Paige not doing well on her own.

Blake sat down on the bed next to Emily and gave her a hug. "Oh. That's sweet. How long have you been together?"

"We got together were roommates at Stanford, freshman year. We've been married for a year and a half."

"I take it that you guys haven't spent a lot of time apart?"

Emily let out a deep breath. "Hardly ever."

"My boyfriend and I have been together for about eight years. It's been long-distance ever since college." Blake pulled out her phone and punched up a picture of her with her boyfriend.

"Wow." Emily couldn't imagine being in a long-distance relationship with Paige for that long. She knew that one of them would make a move so that they could be closer together. "So, I guess you just get used to it after a while?"

Blake frowned a little, shaking her head. "Not really, no."

* * *

Paige had managed her schedule so that she was busy Monday through Wednesday till 1:30, but had her evenings and the rest of her weeks free. This suited Pru fine. She was a late-sleeper whenever she had the opportunity, and she was just about getting revved up by the time Paige got home in the afternoons. Paige, as much as she loved Pru, was tempted so sign up for – or just pretend that she had signed up for – some afternoon lab sessions. Pru was just a little much. And it was one thing for _Pru_ to stay up and stay out all night long, but Paige still had to get up and teach, half the week, and get up to put in some hours on her research project. Pru was like an infant. She had to be entertained and diverted constantly, or she would start to wail in protest. _I might have been better off with Hanna_ , Paige lamented to herself. _At least I could pawn her off on Caleb some of the time._

"I want to go to a lesbian club!" Pru decided.

"Okay… Have fun!" Paige said skeptically.

"No, I want _us_ to go. How am I supposed to know where the good gay bars are?"

"How am _I_ supposed to?" Paige asked, honestly. "I don't know anything about good gay bars!"

"Hello? _You're Gay_! I mean, I hate to be the one to break it to you!"

"So? That doesn't mean that we go out to gay bars. We just go to _bars_ ," Paige said, trying to stay patient. "Just like you guys."

"Ugh. That's so boring. I bet Hanna knows where all the good gay bars are!"

Paige laughed out loud. Her best friend was right on the money. "You bet right!" she exclaimed, "And I bet Hanna would love to take you bar hopping tonight."

"You mean _lesbian_ bar hopping, right?"

And just like that, Paige's Pru problem was solved for the night. Caleb and Hanna were free for the evening, so they headed up to University City. Hanna spirited Pru off for their night of bar hopping. Paige and Caleb headed for a bowling alley with a bar. Paige needed to blow off some steam. Her body was missing Emily and it needed a distraction. Slinging a 12-pound ball 60 feet down a bowling lane to crash into a pyramid of pins would do just fine.

* * *

Hanna and Pru were totally smashed by the time they crawled back to the apartment, after Hanna had a very touching, very huggy, reunion with one of the guards down at the front desk. They decided that it was best for Caleb and Hanna to stay the night. Hanna got very excited about Skyping Emily. Paige tried her best to dissuade her, but she was insistent, and Paige really did want to see Emily's face and hear her voice, even though she knew that Emily would be pissed at being awakened at 7:00 by her wife and their drunken friends.

Paige couldn't have been more wrong. Emily was tired, and had been looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday, but, once she got Paige's text about Skyping, she was happy to change that plan. Caleb, Pru, and Hanna hid off to the sides at the outset of the phone call.

"So why did you have to this urgent need to talk to me at 2:00 in the morning?" Emily asked. She dropped her voice suggestively and said, "Did you _miss_ me?"

Before Paige could answer, the rest of the crew burst in, yelling "Surprise!"

"We figured we'd better bust in before you started to get sexual all over this Skype," Hanna drunkenly explained.

Emily blushed. "Guys! My roommate's right in the next bed! I wasn't about to get sexual," she half-whispered.

"I _did_ really miss you, Em," Paige said sincerely, with a pout.

"Awwww!" the chorus chimed in.

"What are you guys all doing there?" Emily was taking it in stride. Yes, she would rather have had Paige all to herself, and, yes, she would have preferred a later wake-up time, but she hadn't seen her wife and her friends for a couple of weeks, now, and it was a nice surprise.

Pru launched into the explanation. "Well, I had an itching to cruise the gay scene in Philly, to get me some sisterly love, but your lame-o wife pled ignorance, so I had to call your **hetero** best friend to show me a good time." Emily had a wide smile on her face. She caught Paige's eye while Pru continued the story, flashing Paige four fingers as she mouthed the words, "Four more weeks." She knew that Paige was thinking, "33%." Whenever they were doing laps, or push-ups, or anything with repetitions, Paige always called out their progress: "25%...33%... 50%... 75%... Final push!"

She just had to hold on for the final push.

* * *

Emily was really enjoying Blake's company, now that they had gotten to know each other. She had seen her around the department and in some receptions, but they had never really chatted. It turned out that they had a lot in common. She was excited to tell Paige about it the next time that they were on Skype.

"We should definitely hang out when we're back in Philly. I know that you two would get along." Paige just kept shaking her head with a big smile on her face. "What? What's so funny?"

"I should've known that you would hit it off with your roommate."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's like, whenever you spend any amount of time with someone, you make a friend for life."

"What? I can't help it if I'm friendly!" Emily pouted a little.

"Nor would I want you to. I'm just…" Paige trailed off.

"You're just what?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"What, Paige? I want to know." Emily was trying to sound annoyed.

"I'm just glad that _I_ was your roommate freshman year. Who knows – you and Vicki might be married and living in Philadelphia now!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "First of all, Vicki doesn't even _like_ girls…"

"Yeah, well, as I recall, neither did I, at the time!"

"Second of all, you _know_ that we would've found each other. We were meant to be."

"I know that we would have, Emily. I'm just messing with you. And I love that you make friends wherever you go."

"I love you, Paige." Emily placed her palm on Paige's image on the screen.

"I love you, too, Em. Hurry home."

"I will. Three more weeks…."

"50%" Paige blew her a kiss as they ended the session.


	22. The Favor

"Hey, Emily, can I ask you a huge favor?"

"Of course," Emily replied without hesitation. She and Blake had gotten to begood friends over the past month, and Emily didn't think twice about the request.

"My boyfriend's flying in tomorrow. Do you think that you could come out to the airport with me to meet him?"

"Oh, yeah, sure! No problem."

"Thanks," Blake said. "I could go by myself, but I'd just feel more comfortable if there's someone else with me."

"Absolutely!" Emily replied. "I understand completely!"

"And you can say no, but, would it be okay if he stayed in our room? I mean, I can ask some of the guys..."

"No, don't be silly," Emily interrupted. "Of course he's staying here! I can even stay in one of the girls' rooms if you guys need some time," she added.

Blake gave her a hug. "I was hoping that you would say that," she admitted shyly.

Emily was only too glad to offer. She knew that Blake would do the same, if it were Paige who were coming to visit. A visit from Paige seemed unlikely at this point, though. Paige hadn't said anything, and Emily didn't want to bring it up, to make Paige feel guilty. Emily knew that Paige was incredibly busy and that she would have come if she could have. She refused to complain. She and Paige had been lucky enough to go to Sydney already that year, and she wasn't going to let herself get greedy or ungrateful. She would just be happy for Blake. She and her boyfriend rarely got to spend time together, after all. Still, there was so much in Florence that she would have loved to share with Paige. Emily laughed to herself. They had barely been married year for a year, and, already, it had reached the point where she couldn't even enjoy a new city without thinking about experiencing it with her wife.

* * *

On the ride to the airport, Emily felt that she was more excited than Blake. Emily kept talking about things that Blake and Andrew could do and see, and Blake just smiled and agreed politely. Emily rationalized that, as rarely as they got to see each other, seeing Florence might not be their first priority. She realized that she needed to plan on spending a lot of time away from the room, to give them some space.

Blake's excitement seemed to build when they finally made it to the terminal. Emily was clinging to her, her eyes wide with anticipation and genuine happiness for what she was about to witness. She was staring at Blake, not wanting to miss her reaction to seeing Andrew in person after all this time. She saw Blake's smile stretch wider just as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to greet Andrew and make way for him to hug his girlfriend, and she let out a scream the sight of Paige's smiling face. She barely had time to register what she had seen before her wife engulfed her in her arms. This was a good thing; had she not, Emily would have collapsed on the spot. Paige rubbed Emily's back for a long time as Emily cried on her shoulder, finally looking up to give Paige a long-needed kiss. Blake stood to the side, capturing the reunion on her phone.

"How?" was the first word out of Emily's mouth.

"Your wife stalked me," Blake explained, telling Emily that Paige had tracked down her e-mail address through the departmental directory, "so, you may want to change your password," she teased.

Emily gave Blake a hug. "Thank you," she said simply.

* * *

Emily was holding Paige's hand so tightly as they walked out of the airport and waited for a cab back to the hotel. She couldn't believe that it was happening. There was so much that she wanted to say and do that she didn't know where to start. She knew where she wanted to start, but she didn't want to make Blake feel uncomfortable, so she just kept smiling at Paige and saying, "I can't believe that you're really here!"

Paige wasn't saying much. Her smile looked tired, and Emily guessed that her flights sucked, putting her in a bad mood. She didn't mind, though. She could put up with a couple of hours of grumpy Paige. She had a whole - she realized that she didn't know how long Paige was going to be there. "How long are you staying, Paige?"

Paige smiled. "I've cleared my week. I'm flying back with you!" Emily couldn't restrain her excitement. She threw her arms around Paige, hugging her from the side and giving her cheek a big kiss.

* * *

Back at the hotel room, Emily held Paige with both hands on Paige's arms, resting her head on Paige's shoulder. Paige's arms were low around her waist, and they stood quietly like that for a long time. Emily realized that she had no idea where Blake had gotten off to. She would have to thank her later. For the moment, she was content just to inhale and exhale into Paige's shoulder and to feel the pounding of Paige's heart as they held each other.

"You look good," she felt Paige say with her lips pressed against her neck.

She giggled and looked into Paige's eyes. "You keep saying that!" Paige smiled back at her and squeezed her arms together, tightening her grip around Emily. "Mmm - I've missed that," Emily said in response. "I've missed _this_. I've missed us."

"I know," Paige said, her smile replaced by a look that was dead serious. She tilted her head and kissed Emily, her knees buckling a little at the hungry moans that emerged from deep within Emily's throat.

Emily's hands slid up to Paige's shoulders and she squeezed them hard, as if in disbelief that they were real. "God, I've missed your body," Emily admitted once their tongues parted. Paige was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt over black skinny jeans, but not for much longer.

Emily had planned a romantic walk, some romantic views, and a romantic meal, but none of that mattered. After a month of only seeing each other on their laptops, the dingy hotel room was all the romance that they needed.

"Emily, I feel gross. I've been in airplanes all day," Paige protested as her t-shirt was being pulled over her head.

"I don't care, Paige," Emily replied, not hiding the desperation in her voice as she worked the button on Paige's jeans. "I really need you right now."

Emily lovingly kissed Paige around her neck and down to her shoulders. "I've missed you so much," she confessed, easing Paige's bra off and onto the floor. "I've missed tasting you. I've missed feeling your skin against my lips and my hands."

Paige was about to reply, letting Emily know that she felt the same, when Emily's hand snuck inside her panties, and all that she could do was let out a low growl. Oh, yes: She had missed the feel of Emily's fingers on her skin. She hadn't realized how much until that very moment.

"Sorry," Emily said, and Paige looked at her, confused. "I've been letting my nails grow. I wasn't expecting to see you." Paige could feel Emily easing off a little, so she cupped her hand around Emily's, pushing her deeper and faster. Emily didn't have to hear Paige tell her that she had missed her. Paige's body was telling her, loud and clear. In no time, Paige was coming undone, collapsing on top of Emily and the bed.

"So, welcome to Florence!" Emily said light-heartedly, and Paige managed a weak smile. "Are you hungry? We have some stuff in the fridge..."

"Just let me catch my breath a minute, Em," Paige asked.

"Of course! I'll just..." But before Emily could get the words out, she realized that Paige was asleep. Emily pulled the blankets over her and stood up, quickly slipping out of her clothes so that she could lie, skin-to-skin, beside Paige as she slept.

Paige woke up alone in a dark room, naked and disoriented. It took a moment to register that she was halfway around the world, in Emily's bed. She found a note that Emily was with her class and would be back for dinner.

Paige wrapped herself in a blanket and got out of bed to retrieve the duffel bag that used to belong to Wayne Fields. She grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the shower. The hot water felt great against her skin. She was really looking forward to Emily's return.

When she turned the water off, there was a knock on the door, and she heard Emily's voice softly ask, "Paige?" she opened the door, slightly, and Emily came in with a huge smile that quickly turned into lust-filled gawking.

Paige was drying her hair, with the water from her shower glistening over her naked form. The scent of freshly showered Paige washed over Emily like a long-lost friend, and, before Emily knew it, she was kissing Paige desperately, her hands roaming up and down Paige's back but mainly smoothing over Paige's ass. "You hungry?" she groaned into Paige's mouth.

"A little, but it can wait," Paige replied, only breaking the kiss long enough to get the words out. "No fair," she added as their lips broke momentarily to breathe. "You've seen me naked twice since I got here, but I still haven't seen you!"

Emily took a step back and laughed. "Paige, I was in bed with you naked for like two and a half hours!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really! I can't help it if you were catatonic!" She laughed and added, "Your _hands_ were definitely wide awake!"

"Oh," Paige said meekly, scrunching up her face. That explained the dreams that she had had. "I'm sorry," she said meekly.

"I'm not!" Emily exulted. "I've missed these hands touching me" she said, grabbing Paige's hands and pushing them onto her breasts.

"Where's Blake?"

"She's staying down the hall for a couple of nights," Emily said as Paige rubbed where Emily had placed her hands.

"Let's get you naked!"

* * *

"Are we too late for dinner?" Paige and Emily had spent much more time reconnecting than either of them had expected.

"Nope, not at all!" Emily assured her. "There's a place that's just a short walk from here where we've been going after hours. It's cute! You'll love it!"

Emily pulled on a short, floral sundress that showcased her legs and put a white, linen jacket on top of it. Paige was having a hard time keeping her hands off of Emily in that dress. Not that Emily minded. It was the reason that she had chosen the dress in the first place. They were both behaving more like horny high school kids on a first date than a married couple in grad school. Unlike kids on a first date, though, there was no doubt how this evening was going to end.

Following dinner, they took a stroll around a piazza where lots of couples, young and old, were walking. Emily had noticed this about the city: Couples strolling together around the piazza in the cool of the evening was a tradition. She had longed to have Paige with her so that she could join them, and now she did. She looked over to see Paige smiling, clearly enjoying having the time to take this leisurely stroll. Emily's arms were crossed in front of her, and Paige's arm was wrapped around her shoulder, straying down to her waist, from time to time, to pull Emily in closer.

Emily led them to a gelato shop where they picked up a cone to share on the way back to the hostel. "Wow," Paige said, after Emily placed their order. "I didn't know that Italian was among your skills! I'm impressed!"

"Don't be," Emily laughed. "What you just heard is about 90% of all the Italian that I know."

* * *

Paige woke up to the smell of steam scented with Emily's body wash and mango shampoo. _God, I've missed that smell_ , her semi-conscious mind realized.

"So, what are you doing today?" she asked, when Emily emerged from the shower.

"Whatever we want!" Emily replied, explaining that the formal sessions were over, and that the students were free to attend review sessions or to spend some time enjoying the city before the final assessment. "I thought that we could go grab some breakfast and then hit the Uffizi Gallery. You up for some Renaissance art?"

Paige frowned. _No, not really_ , she thought. She said, "Will you wear that dress that you wore last night?"

"Paige... it's probably all wrinkled from the way that you manhandled it when we got back here!" Paige was begging with her eyes. "Ohhh," Emily pondered, her resolve fading. "Do you think that you'll be able to keep your hands to yourself?" Paige shook her head slowly back and forth. "Ugh. Fine, whatever you want, McCullers," she said, bending down to kiss Paige where she lay. "I'm just so happy that you came." She grabbed Paige's chin and kissed her again. "Just let me hang the dress up in the bathroom while you shower, so that it can steam out a little."

Paige was trying to be on her best behavior at the gallery. Emily was really enjoying the artwork, and Paige loved seeing her whenever she got so enthusiastic. In reality, though, Paige just wanted to throw her against the wall and rattle some of those paintings off of their hooks. She smiled politely and nodded at Emily's commentary, trying not to appear distracted.

"What do you think?" Emily asked at just the wrong moment, and Paige couldn't suppress her guilty smile. Emily's face fell a little. "You're bored, aren't you? I'm so sorry."

"No, Em. I'm not bored, honest. I'm just..." _really_ _horny_ , she was thinking, but she had the presence of mind to say, _"_ being selfish."

Emily stroked her wife's cheek. "We can go."

"Oh, no, Em. That wouldn't be right. We may never get a chance to see this again." Emily smiled and gave her a kiss. "And I really love how much you're enjoying this."

"I'll be quick," Emily promised.

Paige grabbed her by the shoulders. "Please don't."

They took their leisure through the rest of the gallery. Emily made a point to stay in physical contact with Paige as much as possible.

After the gallery, they picked up some sandwiches and water and found a spot to sit and eat as they watched the people and traffic go by. When they finished eating, Paige gathered up the trash and tossed it away. When she got back to the bench, Emily settled in under her arm and they enjoyed their pleasant afternoon out.

* * *

After reconnecting - again - and freshening up in Emily's room, Paige and Emily set out for dinner with Blake. Paige was eager to get to know her, since Emily was so enthusiastic about what a great friend she was. They both wanted to express their gratitude for the week – for helping Paige surprise Emily, and for giving up her room.

They took Paige to a pizza parlor that they had discovered, with an 87-year-old, third-generation pizza chef who made pizza one way: His way. "Don't you dare ask for buffalo ranch!" Emily teased. When the pizza arrived, Emily and Blake waited, watching as Paige took her first bite. She moved the slice to her lips. "What's going on?" she asked, suspicious of the way that they were staring at her.

"Eat it!" Emily prodded urgently.

"We want to see your reaction," Blake explained.

Paige shook her head and put the slice in her mouth. "Oh, my God, that's _so_ good!" she yelled. "It should be a crime!" Emily and Blake laughed in satisfaction. "Seriously, how did you not take me here for every meal, Em?"

* * *

Paige and Emily toured the massive Santa Maria del Fiore basilica on Tuesday and stood in line to see Michelangelo's "David" at the Galleria dell'Accademia. They toured around some of the artisan's shops, and Paige couldn't resist buying a white gold bangle with a mermaid charm for Emily.

On Wednesday, there was a final seminar for the entire class. Paige tagged along for the sole purpose of spending time with Emily, but she found herself getting caught up in some of the discussions. Near the end of the three-hour session, the professor handed out certificates and dismissed the students. Paige, Blake, and Emily went back to the hostel to pack.

Paige and Emily went on-line to get their seat assignments for their flights home, and they were early enough to be able to land adjacent seats for both of them. Blake wasn't on the same flights, but they split a cab to the airport on Thursday morning.

"You don't know how much better traveling is when you're with me," Emily said, leaning in to give Paige a peck on the cheek.

"I was thinking the same about you," Paige said.

"Really? I rather thought that you'd prefer traveling by yourself."

"Maybe before, I would have. But flying out here without you? It really sucked, Em."

"Mmm… I'm glad to hear that," Emily cooed. "Let's never travel apart from each other again."

"Deal!" Paige said. They made their way through all of the hoops that they had to jump through to get their luggage checked and clear security. When they made it to the gate, Emily found her spot under Paige's arm. She smoothed her hand on Paige's shoulder, so delighted that her flight home wasn't going to be as lonesome as her flight to Florence had been. Even grumpy Paige was better than no Paige at all. It took traveling without Paige for Emily to realize that.

In somewhat of a role reversal, Paige was the giddy one on the flights. She also couldn't keep her hands to herself. "Wow, Paige. You really missed me, didn't you?"

Paige sobered up from her giddiness immediately. "I really did, Emily." She turned, putting her face in front of Emily's and resting her hand on Emily's cheek. "I missed you so much. It was horrible."

"Even with Pru to keep you company?"

"Okay, you were right about that. I don't know what I would've done in that apartment all by myself. But it didn't make me miss you any less." Paige's face was still in front of Emily's, and she leaned over and kissed her. Emily smoothed her hand through Paige's hair. She knew that Paige loved her, but it felt really good to hear how much Paige missed her.

Emily kissed her back. "I missed you, too, Paige. This was the best surprise I've ever had. You really spoil me, you know that?"

Paige sat back in her seat and smiled. She pulled Emily's hand into her lap and they settled into peaceful sleep.


	23. Nick's News

Emily and Paige had to miss the trip to Spencer's family's house at the shore. Their schedules didn't align. Instead, they headed out to the lake house with Nick. Caleb and Hanna tagged along. They had made the trip to the shore house as well, their schedules being much more flexible than those of the rest of the group.

On their first evening, long after the others had gone to bed, Paige and Emily were up talking, facing each other as they sat cross-legged on the bed.

Emily started off. "It just feels that you and I were really disconnected this year."

"I know," Paige nodded. "It doesn't feel like drifting or taking each other for granted…"

"Right," Emily continued. "just that we haven't had enough 'us' time." Paige held Emily's hands. "And, I mean, there have been some positives. We still catch up with each other every evening."

"Mardi Gras in Sydney was a plus."

"And your wonderful surprise visit to Florence."

"Still…"

"Yeah. I just miss you." Emily relaxed her head onto Paige's shoulder. "I mean, we _knew_ that grad school was going to be hard."

"And once we start working and start a family, it's only going to get harder."

Emily sighed. "So, what do we do?"

Paige positioned herself to the side of Emily, stretching her legs out in front of them, Emily's head still on her shoulder. "We just have to be more intentional. We have to get in the habit of carving out time for each other. If we don't start that now, we're never going to be able to do it once things get really busy."

"I agree completely," Emily said. "So how do we do that?"

"We're going to have to start looking at our calendars. When we were at Stanford, our schedules were always in sync, so the calendar kept us together. Now, we'll have to manage the calendar. Find time and make time when it works for both of us." Emily folded her hands in her lap. "Are you up for that, Fields?"

"I suppose," she said, letting a sigh pass through her lips.

"We can do it!" Paige kissed the top of Emily's head, nudging it with her shoulder. "Once we get into a groove, we'll be okay."

"And what about The Map?" Emily wasn't sure why she was bringing that up. At the beginning, it was fun keeping track of all the states where they had been together, but, at this point, getting to all fifty didn't seem realistic.

"We haven't managed to cross off a single state this year," Paige observed.

"But, we _did_ cross off a new country – and a new continent." Emily raised her eyebrows and nudged Paige with her elbow, and Paige laughed slightly.

"I know that five states a year isn't realistic anymore, Emily. The important thing is that we find ourselves some getaways, and, if we can manage to do that in a new state, that'll just be a bonus. And, now that I know that I'm supposed to be spending money on seminars, I can look for ones that fit both of our schedules. So, at least, we'll get out of the city."

Emily exhaled deeply. "We'll be okay, right?" she asked, sitting up on her knees and putting her hands on Paige's chest.

"Oh, absolutely! This is just a scheduling problem. It's not a relationship problem."

Emily smiled, kissing Paige. "We caught it in time!"

Paige relaxed down on the bed, pulling Emily into a lying position along with her. "So, where would you like to go this year?"

Emily took a deep breath and thought it over. "You know where I'd really like to go?" Paige shook her head, smiling in anticipation of the reveal. "Now, don't laugh: Canada."

Paige shook her head, contemplating Canada. "I like it!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! It's kind of funny that we're going to get to three countries this year, but no other states!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, if we drive, maybe we can find a place to stop over."

Paige laughed. "Yeah, we're definitely going to have to drive. We don't have the budget to fly. So, we'll definitely need to stop over some place."

"So, maybe we can cross of another state after all?"

"Well, we can look at the map, but, unless we really go out of our way, New York makes the most sense."

"Oh. And we wanted to a full week in New York next time."

"Yeah, but it doesn't have to be _next_ time. Just sometime in the future."

"Well, maybe we should go to Maine. That way, we could stop off in New Hampshire and cross off two states."

Paige kissed Emily. "You're starting to think like me! No, I like the idea of Canada. I think that we should go for it."

Emily nodded. She sat up and started rolling her left shoulder, rubbing it with her right hand, grimacing. "Hmm. Subtle, Em," Paige commented.

"What? My shoulder just feels weird."

"Of course it does!" Paige's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Okay. Lie down on your stomach!"

Emily fist-pumped, ripping off her oversized t-shirt without having to be asked. She folded her hands arms under her head and snuggled into the bed. Paige climbed on top of her and began working her shoulders and back. Emily moaned contentedly, and Paige shushed her. "Quiet!" she whispered. "My Dad's just down the hall!"

"Hey – at least I'm not as loud as Hanna? Seriously, did you hear her earlier?"

"I'm pretty sure that the neighbors heard her!" Paige replied. Their nearest neighbor was a good ten-minute walk away.

"Your poor dad," Emily mused. "Surrounded by horny young couples!"

Emily reached back to give Paige's thigh a stroke. After some more soothing rubbing and kneading from her wife, she rolled over and smiled up at Paige. Paige let out a gasp as the vision of Emily's perky breasts, as though she were seeing them for the first time. Emily grabbed them to tease her. "Liking what you see?" she asked seductively, bouncing them in her hands. Paige responded by burying her face in them, kissing them and scraping her teeth across them. Emily ran her hands through Paige's hair, encouraging her to continue. She reached to the base of the cut-off t-shirt that Paige was wearing and started pulling it up toward her shoulders, but Paige was too distracted to cooperate. Emily gave up after a bit and just lay back and enjoyed all of the attention that she was receiving. Eventually, she sat up, leaning on her elbows, forcing Paige to pause. Paige took the hint and sat up to pull off her top. Emily smiled at Paige's exposed torso. She sat up fully and put her hands at Paige's thighs, smoothing them over Paige's taut abs. Paige was on her knees between Emily's thighs. Emily began kissing her, slowly and intensely, rubbing her hands up and down Paige's back. Paige eased Emily down onto the bed and began to lower her kisses, but Emily shook her head no. She sat back up and gently pushed Paige down toward the foot of the bed. Paige extended her legs in front of her, and Emily rubbed and kissed her way up from Paige's calves and thighs, up past her abdomen, up to her breasts, and, finally, to her neck and lips. Emily allowed her hand to stray down inside Paige's boxers, and Paige surrendered to her touch.

* * *

Paige and Emily smelled coffee and breakfast downstairs, but neither had the energy or the motivation to get out of bed. They were lying next to each other, Paige with her arm around Emily's shoulder, lazily teasing her other hand up and down Emily's stomach.

"You still want me to get it pierced?" Emily asked, putting her hand atop Paige's on her navel.

Paige chuckled. "I still think that it would be hot, but don't do it for me!"

Emily furrowed her brow, raising her head from where it was tucked under Paige's arm to look her in the face. "Why _wouldn't_ I do it for you? You'd do it for me. Besides, I'd be doing it for me, because I love to make you happy."

Paige smiled, kissing Emily. "And I thought that _I_ was supposed to be the cheesy one."

Emily relaxed back under Paige's arm. "I'm cheesy but sincere. I like the thought that I could turn you on."

Paige had to laugh. "As if you could _not_ turn me on. I mean – well, you know what I mean…"

"Yeah," Emily laughed, "I do. And it's one of my favorite things." She kissed the side of Paige's neck. "God, I love you, Paige McCullers."

Paige tilted Emily's head up so that she could kiss her lips. "And I love you, Emily." She gave Emily a sloppy, over-the-top, comical kiss.

Emily squirmed away. "Ew! 'McCullers Morning Breath!' _Not_ one of my favorite things!" She leaned back in to kiss Paige again, in case there was any doubt that she was only joking.

They lay together for a few more minutes before they heard the sound of chairs moving and plates being scraped clean. "We'd better get down there before the kitchen closes," Paige said.

"Mmm. Can we just grab some coffee and come right back here? Right back to this?"

"As you wish," Paige smiled.

* * *

"So, we're doing this?"

Paige was on her laptop, looking up the driving time between Philadelphia and Montreal. "Seven hours," she said. "Not bad. If we split the driving and take a couple of stops, we wouldn't even have to stay overnight. You know, leave early in the morning, take a lunch break and maybe a break to stretch our legs. Even if we take our time, we should get there in time for dinner."

Emily wasn't so sure. "But if we hit traffic, it could really suck to be on the road that long. How many bottles of beer on the wall is that even?"

"Well, let's do this. Let's plan to do it in one day, but, if we get tired or just tired of being in the car, we can stop over somewhere. Deal?"

"Deal!"

With that settled, they set out to enjoy the rest of the week with the crew at the lake house.

* * *

It wasn't surprising that the rustic life of the lake and Hanna didn't mesh well together. Hanna was able to hold her own at the shore house, where there was the beach and opportunities to show off her body. In the lake, where there was nothing but solitude, nature, and wildlife, Hanna was out of place. She was constantly spraying herself with insect repellent, constantly sanitizing her hands, and constantly shooing away squirrels, birds, and other animal life when she thought that they were conspiring against her.

But fishing was another story. As reluctant as she was to get into the waders, the look actually worked for her. Caleb walked her through the process of casting her line, and, soon enough, she was putting the rest of them to shame. The fish seemed magically attracted to her lure. She wanted nothing to do with baiting the line or removing the fish – and it took some convincing from Nick that "catch and release" did no permanent damage to the fish that she reeled in – but, when it came to getting them fish onto her line, she was a prodigy.

* * *

That evening, Nick suggested that Caleb and Hanna go somewhere where they could celebrate her great fortune on the lake together. He gave them some cash, which he had to persuade them to accept, and the name of a nice restaurant where he knew the owner. "She'll treat you right," he assured them.

Nick wanted some time alone with Paige and Emily. They needed to talk.

There was tension in the air as the three of them set about getting dinner ready and on the table. They made small talk, but Nick gave no clue about why he needed to speak to the two of them alone.

When it was finally time to sit down to eat, Paige kept a wary eye on her father. Emily kept an eye on Paige. Finally, Nick broke the silence. "So, Paige. I wanted you to know that I've been seeing someone."

Paige's face lit up, with relief almost as much as with joy. She grabbed her father's arm with both hands. "Oh, Dad, that's wonderful!" she gushed.

Nick let out a laugh. "Now, Paige, you're ruining my speech about how this may be hard for you, but I want you to know that nothing's going to change between us!"

"Dad, honestly, I couldn't be any happier for you." Emily nodded in agreement. "So, tell us about her. It _is_ a 'her,' right?"

Nick laughed a little, "Yes. 'Her.' Jody – Joanna Tr…"

"Joanna Tremble from the firm?"

"Now, I know that she might seem a little young…"

"How young?" Emily whispered to Paige, who shook her off and continued the dialog with her father.

"No, Dad, that's great! So, how long has this been going on?"

Nick breathed deeply. "Only officially for a little over a month. I guess," he said, pausing dramatically, "that it all goes back to when you and I started to reconnect. I don't know, I guess my attitude changed, and she took notice. That's what she tells me, anyway. A couple of years ago, she started doing little things – bringing me lunches, inviting me for dinner, saying that I didn't look as though I was eating properly. It took me some time to realize that she wasn't just being a concerned co-worker." Emily jabbed Paige in the side and smiled. _Like father, like daughter_ , she was thinking.

"And you kept it under wraps all this time? Dad, you could've said something!"

"No, Paige. I wasn't trying to keep anything from you. As I said, it wasn't until recently that I actually figured out what was going on and we started dating."

"Well, now I feel bad. I would've felt horrible if she had missed our wedding, but you weren't together then?"

"No, we weren't together. And I wouldn't do that to your mother."

Paige rolled her eyes. The last thing that she cared about was her mother's feelings. "Well, Joanna should've at least come up to the lake with us!"

"I invited her, but she didn't think it would be right, you know. She said that it would be as if I were forcing her on you, not giving you a chance to come to terms with what you're feeling, because you would have to be polite."

"Boy, does she have a lot to learn about how this family works," Emily said under her breath, immediately cringing when she realized that she had said it out loud. She looked up at Paige and Nick apologetically, but they were both laughing.

"Anyway," Nick continued, "I told her that I would talk to you, and maybe she could still make it up here before the week is over?"

"Absolutely!" Paige said, getting up to give her father a hug.

* * *

"So, how young are we talking?" Emily finally had the chance to ask as she and Paige cleaned up from dinner.

"She started at the firm when I was in like sixth grade, so she's got to be like, what? – about fifteen years older than us?"

"So, late-thirties, then? Maybe forty? That's not so bad. How old's your dad? 57?"

"Yeah, 57. I mean, seventeen years is a lot, but they're both old enough to know what they're doing. I'm really happy for him."

"I'm happy for him too."

"Ew, but…"

"But, what?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking? The two of them up here at the lake house?"

"Oh, my God, Paige!"

"Nobody wants to hear that, am I right?"

"Agh! Stop it!" Emily put her hands up and shaking her head wildly back and forth. "I can't think about this!"

* * *

Paige led Emily over to the bed and sat with her. They started to kiss. Paige pulled back and asked, "Remember before we started dating?" She paused and rolled her eyes. "Well, we were dating, but I just didn't realize it?" Emily nodded. "We used to kiss _all_ the time."

"I remember!" Emily smiled and went back to kissing Paige.

"I never understood _why_ we were kissing, but I was afraid to say anything."

"Why? You were afraid of what it meant that you liked kissing a girl?"

"No," Paige said, shaking her head. "I was afraid that, if I said anything, you'd stop doing it." Emily kissed her again. "You know, like, when you like someone, but you're just friends, and she puts her hand on your shoulder or something, but it doesn't mean anything. And you're afraid to look over at it, because it feels so good to have her hand on your shoulder, and you know that, if she sees you looking, she'll think it's making you uncomfortable and take her hand away?"

Emily laughed. "Okay, McCullers. You're adorable. But can you just go back to kissing me right now?" They kissed for a while longer before Emily pulled away to reminisce. "I couldn't believe that you kept letting me get away with it."

"With what?"

"With kissing you all the time." Emily shook her head, smiling shyly. "It felt like playing with fire, you know? You figure, sooner or later, you're going to get burned, but it's just such a rush that you can't help pushing your luck."

"You thought that I didn't want you to kiss me?"

"I thought that you were just putting up with it - humoring me, or something."

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't stop," Paige said, kissing Emily again.

"I'm glad, too," Emily echoed, between kisses. "Let's never stop, okay?"

"I promise!" Paige replied.

* * *

Nick drove home that evening. He was going to return to the lake house with Joanna the following morning. "I wonder whether she's been up here before," Emily said, when she and Paige got under the covers.

"I was thinking that, too. No way I'm asking that question, though! It's too awkward!"

"I bet Hanna would ask!"

"Oh, of course, Hanna would ask!" Paige thought about it for a second. "Don't you dare put that thought in her head!"

When Joanna stepped into the cabin the next morning, Paige greeted her with a hug. There was no denying that it was weird, seeing this woman whom she had known since childhood together with her father, but it felt good to know that he wasn't alone anymore.

"And, Emily," Joanna said, going over to give her a hug. "I've heard so much about you, ever since you and Paige started dating." Emily did a double-take on hearing that. She knew that Nick had never objected to her dating Paige, but she had no idea that her name came up in conversation with his co-workers way back then.

There was awkward silence for what felt, to Joanna, like an hour or so. "Well, we've all got the 'meet the parents' jitters, haven't we?" Paige said, breaking the tension. "Come on," she added, linking arms with Joanna. "Let me introduce you to Hanna and Caleb."

Emily started to follow them out, but Nick pulled her to the side. "You know, Emily, when you get to be my age - and Joanna's age," he smiled and rolled his eyes, acknowledging the awkward age-difference thing, "it doesn't take you long to know what you want. Jody and I have only been dating for a couple of months, but we've been close for a few years…"

Emily gave him a hug. "I know that Paige would be delighted if you two got engaged." He patted her on the back and smiled in relief as they released from the hug. "But you're not getting this ring back!" she joked, and they both laughed.

* * *

Joanna blended in well with the group, and, before long, Paige realized that she was seeing her as her father's girlfriend, not Miss Joanna from the firm. She enjoyed watching her father hold her hand when he shared a story at the dinner table, and, without realizing it, she reached over and grabbed Emily's hand, too. Emily was even more happy for Paige than she was for Paige's father and Joanna. Paige wasn't getting her mother back – or even someone old enough to be her mother – but she was getting something. Emily had watched Paige's increasing joy, over the years, as, bit by bit, Nick McCullers became more and more of the father whom she remembered from her early childhood. His relationship with Joanna seemed to be the final stone on his pathway back to being _that_ Nick McCullers.

When they got back to their room that evening, Paige gave Emily a long hug. Emily could feel her excitement, and it made her smile, too. "And the best part, Em," Paige said, as though she and Emily were already in the middle of a conversation, "I think that he's going to propose to her!" Emily pulled Paige back in for a hug and laughed into her shoulder. It wasn't her place to break her father's news. She couldn't wait to see Paige's reaction when it became official.


	24. Au Canada

Paige and Emily got up early on a Friday morning for their long drive to Canada, or, as it later became known, the trip from hell. It was oppressively hot and sticky in Philadelphia, and they couldn't wait to get to some of the cooler temperatures up north.

The air conditioner was blasting in the car as Paige drove and Emily tried to sleep. "Uh oh!" Paige didn't say them loud, but, somehow, those words stirred Emily from her slumber.

"What's going on?" she asked, still in a fog. Paige pointed under the hood, where a similar fog was floating upwards.

"She's overheating," Paige said, pulling off to the side of the road. She popped the trunk and went to take a look, getting out of the way just before she got scalded by the steam coming out of the engine. "Damn it!" she yelled, kicking at the front bumper.

Emily came up behind Paige and wrapped her hands around her waist, in hopes of containing the situation before it became too desperate. "Em," Paige asked, seemingly not angry at all, "can you find the closest gas station?" Emily got out her phone and started looking. "I'm kind of glad that we didn't decide to leave on a Sunday," Paige thought out loud. "Who knows what would be open on Sunday?" She was heading to the trunk to grab the bottle of coolant. Emily's Toyota had well over 100,000 miles on it, so Paige wasn't unprepared for something like this.

When the lid on the radiator was cool enough to touch, Paige unscrewed it and poured the liquid in, putting the bottle back in the trunk before she joined Emily back in the car. "Okay," she told Emily matter-of-factly, "We're going to take it slowly to the service station. We should be okay for a good 60 to 100 miles." She smiled over at Emily who nodded her head. "Now the bad news," she continued, scrunching her face. "Roll down the windows, because we're going to need to leave the air conditioner off." She gave Emily an apologetic half-smile.

Emily leaned over and kissed her. There was nothing "half" about the smile on Emily's face. "What's that for?" Paige asked.

"How are you being so good about this? You're not clamming up and you're not hitting things and yelling."

"I kicked the bumper," Paige admitted with a smile. She shrugged her shoulders. "We might as well enjoy our time together. At least we're not stuck on campus." Paige was interrupted by another kiss. "I guess you're rubbing off on me, Em."

Emily noticed that her phone's battery was a little low. "Do you think that we can use the car's GPS instead of the one on my phone?" she asked apologetically.

"Of course! Why wouldn't we."

"Well, you know, we can't use the A/C, so I wasn't sure."

Paige laughed. "Emily, you're such a _girl_ sometimes!"

They limped along to the service station, smiling and waving at all of the drivers who impatiently beeped at them as they zoomed past.

The mechanic at the service station really wanted to keep their car for a couple of days. He told them that he wouldn't want his daughters driving to Canada with an engine in that kind of shape. He underestimated Paige's knowledge of cars, though. She politely told him that he could service the car and get it back to them that afternoon, or he could sell them enough coolant to get them to the next station.

Paige and Emily found a Wendy's nearby and stopped for coffee. "Do you just want to head back to Philly?" Emily asked. She thought that they might be better off renting a car.

"Nope!" Paige said without a moment's hesitation. "This is going to be that wacky adventure that we brag to our kids about!"

They spent their morning meandering through the few shops in the strip mall, to keep cool and to pass the time. It was just before one when they got the call to come pick up their car. When they got back on the road, Emily said, "We've still got pretty much the whole seven hours ahead of us, Paige. Are you sure that you don't want to head back?"

"Do _you_?" Paige asked. Emily shrugged her shoulders. "I'm good to drive for at least another five hours. Let's see how we feel by Albany. If we need to, we can get onto Hotwire and get a room for the night, and then see how we try again tomorrow morning."

That sounded reasonable to Emily. She really did want to get away while they had the chance, and she was relieved that Paige wasn't being grumpy and silent. "I'm game!" she said, and Paige smiled triumphantly.

Paige was glad to be able to lean on the accelerator a bit more. They were both glad to be able to use the air conditioner again. They were going at a good clip when Emily grabbed Paige's arm. "You're going to kill me for this," she said apologetically, "but I think that I need to make a stop."

Paige looked over, concerned. "You okay, Em?"

"Yeah. I just need to get to a drug store," she said softly. "If you know what I mean."

"Oh," Paige realized. "So – no crossing Canada off the list?" she winked.

"Not in the first part of the week." Emily dipped her head, feeling guilty.

Paige reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it a little, smiling a little. "So, let me know where I should pull off," she said, smiling sweetly as she looked over at Emily.

"Okay, seriously, Paige. This is starting to freak me out!"

"I know, right? I'm a little freaked out myself!" Paige said and laughed heartily. Emily shook her head and decided just to go with it. She laid her head on Paige's shoulder and Paige sighed contentedly. "You know that I melt whenever you do that, right?"

* * *

Paige drove to Albany, and they took a dinner break. Paige opted to treat them to a real restaurant, not fast-food or a chain. It was nice to get out of the car and stretch their legs. Emily wasn't sure that she was up for another three and a half hours. Paige really wanted to push through. "I'll make a deal with you," she offered. "I'm still good to drive. You can recline the seat and sleep, and I'll wake you when we get to the border."

"Paige, you don't want to drive the whole trip!"

"No, I'm good, Emily," Paige assured her. "I mean, I've been social all day. I just need some me-time to charge my batteries."

When she put it like that, Emily understood. She didn't feel like spending the rest of the night driving, but she _was_ really tired, and she had no doubt that she could sleep the rest of the way. She might as well do it in the car and wake up in Canada.

* * *

Emily wasn't sure, but she assumed that it was the heavy rain on the windshield that had awakened her. She looked over at Paige. The social, take-it-in-stride Paige had obviously vanished. Emily thought that she might be better off pretending that she was still asleep, to give Paige some space, but that wasn't really her style. She reached out to Paige's arm and weakly said her name.

Paige looked over at her with her eyebrows knit together, making no attempt to smile. "You're up," she said, her voice giving nothing of her current mood away. Emily wasn't sure whether or not Paige was upset at her for not having fulfilled her part of the bargain and sleeping through the rest of the trip.

"Where are we?" she asked dreamily.

Paige shrugged her shoulders, vaguely tilting her head toward the GPS. _Oh_ , Emily realized. _That's how it's going to be._ "You don't feel like talking right now?"

Paige let out a long, loud exhale. She hated that question. When she didn't feel like talking, she didn't feel like answering that question. When she _did_ feel like talking, she took the question as an insult.

It had been raining steadily for the last half hour or so, and the driving was painfully slow. Paige was combusting internally.

Emily curled back into herself. Paige summoned whatever reserves of patience she had remaining. After all, she realized, pushing through in one night had been her idea. "We're pretty close to the border, Em. Do you want to stop for a minute?" Emily shook her head and tried to smile. "Are you sure? I could really use some coffee!"

Emily laughed and nudged Paige on the shoulder. Paige hated coffee. "Thanks, Paige. I'm all right," she said, stifling a yawn. "Unless you want to stop?"

Paige didn't, but she recognized the tone in Emily's voice. The next rest stop wasn't too far away. It was clean, and there were comfortable seats. Paige just wanted to hold Emily and to be held by her. She pulled Emily's arm over her shoulder and laid her head on Emily's shoulder. She didn't let go of Emily's arm. Emily kissed her on the forehead. Paige stayed that way, resting her eyes, while Emily finished her coffee.

"Do you want me to drive?" Emily offered as she climbed into the car. Paige had run out in the rain and driven back to pick up Emily, so that she could stay dry.

"No, I'm good," Paige yawned.

"Come on, Paige. I feel bad. You took care of me all day. I got my nap, now let me take a turn."

Paige shrugged at first and then gave in and nodded her head. There was a time when Emily would have angrily demanded that Paige hand over the keys, deeming her unfit to drive. Paige knew that Emily was being gentle with her, getting her to give up the keys without causing her to give up her pride. "Thank you," Paige said, as she got out to switch places with Emily.

Once she was behind the wheel, Emily stroked Paige's cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. When they separated, she patted Paige's cheek a couple of times before she put both hands on the steering wheel. "Get some sleep," she said softly. Paige was out before they made it out of the parking lot.

* * *

"Paige… Paige!" Paige felt her wife's hand shaking her thigh as she called her name. "We're getting close to the border. What do I need?" Paige wearily reached into the glove box and handed Emily their passports. Whatever happen next, Paige would never know. She was out like a light again. Emily took her sleeping wife's hand and rubbed it with her thumb. "Poor Baby," she couldn't help saying.

The next thing that Paige knew, Emily was waking her to let her know that they had reached their destination. Emily was pretty sure that they had, at least. The lodge looked a whole lot different in real life than in the pictures on the web site. The staff was extremely friendly, though. They even accommodated the few remaining vestiges of Paige's faltering high school French.

And, really, at that point, all that they wanted was a bed. They quickly changed for bed and climbed in. Emily turned around to face Paige and kissed her, resting both hands on her chest. "Thank you," she said simply. Paige nodded. "This trip could have been a real nightmare, and I know that you made it harder on yourself so that it would be easier on me."

Paige smoothed her hand over Emily's hair with a faint smile. She was never good at being thanked. "I'm just glad that we're here. And everything was worth it, just to spend the day with you."

Emily knew that Paige wasn't just saying that, because she had been thinking the same thing. She rolled over as she told Paige, "I love you."

Paige began rubbing Emily's back, to help her get to sleep. "And I love you, Emily," she whispered.

* * *

"So, what is there to do in Canada?" Emily joked over breakfast Saturday morning.

"I saw this thing on the National 12–to-18-year-old swimming championships. They do it in a different city every year. It's close, this year, but not close enough."

"How close?" Emily wondered.

"Quebec City – another two and a half hours."

"Nah" they both shook their heads and said simultaneously.

"The city has a lot of outdoor parks," Paige suggested. I was thinking that we could just kind of take it low-key, maybe get a picnic, rent some bikes, see where life takes us?"

"That sounds great, Paige. It doesn't sound like _you_ , but it sounds great!"

They spent Saturday shopping and sightseeing, taking a break in the early afternoon for a picnic lunch. They saw a sign advertising the international fireworks competition in Montreal, and ended up finding a spot to watch that evening's show.

They passed the rest of the week as wanderers in the big city, letting life surprise them. It was just what they had needed. After a long, rigorous first year of grad school, with a hard second year ahead of them, they were happy to feel carefree and young again, to be able escape from their grown-up reality for a few days.

On Wednesday, they didn't even leave the hotel room. They didn't plan it that way. They just ended up sleeping in. Once they got up, they had a breakfast in bed of fruits and juices that they had stocked up in their mini fridge. Emily brewed some coffee. They lay there most of the morning, reminiscing about that summer and past summers, and dreaming about future summers. When someone came to clean up the room, Paige met him at the door and just asked for fresh towels. They played games and looked through some tour books, and, before they knew it, it was time for dinner. Paige called down to the kitchen for room service. Once they realized that they hadn't left the room that day, it became a goal for Paige to make it to midnight without venturing past the threshold.

"This was nice," Emily admitted when they finally settled down to go to sleep. "I like doing things with you, but I like doing _nothing_ with you, too."

"I know what you mean," Paige agreed. "If you had told me that we would spend all day in the room, it would sound like a waste, but it really wasn't. It was good. I'm glad that we had a day to do nothing."

"Yeah. We should make that part of our routine - not reconnecting by doing something together, but by doing nothing together." Paige nodded in agreement. "Also, we should rest up for tomorrow," Emily said. For their day of service, they had volunteered to join a group that was going to clean up a reservoir on Thursday. It promised to be a long, hot, messy day.

Paige laughed. "I guess it's good night, then." She gave Emily a kiss.

"Not quite," Emily said, seeing Paige's kiss and raising her several more. "I think that it's going to be a _great_ night."

* * *

Their clean-up day had a distinct party feel to it. It turned out that it was a family activity. They were the only ones who weren't there with young children. To keep the children engaged, there was plenty of singing – mostly French songs that they had never heard of but comically did the best that they could, phonetically, with a sprinkling of tunes that they recognized from their English versions, and a couple that the group sang in English as a concession to the two of them – plenty of breaks for food and water, and several breaks for just plain fun: running, jumping, and releasing their energy. It felt good to be volunteering with parents and young children. Paige and Emily had planned to instill the culture of volunteerism into their children, and they were reassured to see that there were opportunities for children to get involved.

After their hellish experience on the trip up, Emily convinced Paige to cut their trip short and plan to spend a night in New York. It wasn't hard to sell her on the idea. The drive home was much less stressful, and it would have been a much easier one-day trip than their journey to Montreal had been, but, in the end, they were much more relaxed when they got home than they were when they got to Montreal. That's the way to do it, they decided: Come stressed and leave relaxed. The trip from Hell was actually pretty heavenly.


	25. Southern Belles from Hell

"Wow," Paige said into the phone. "That's just around the corner! Are you two going to be able to put a whole wedding together in that time? ... Dad, are you sure? ... Well, whose idea was it? ... She may have _said_ that, but is that what she really wants? Do you want me to ask her? ... Dad, all I'm saying is that this is probably something that she's been dreaming about for most of her life. She may be okay with standing up in front of a judge at City Hall, but she might want something more. Doesn't she have family? ... Well, maybe she wants to get married down there? ... I'd be glad to talk to her, Dad. You want her to be happy, don't you? Okay... Okay. Well, let me know what you guys decide, okay? Whatever you need, we'll be there."

Emily had picked up the gist of the conversation, but Paige filled her in on the details. Nick had called about his wedding to Joanna a week from Friday. They were going to stand up in front of a judge at city hall, and he wanted to be sure that Paige and Emily could come out to serve as witnesses.

"He means well," Paige assured Emily, who was trying not to laugh. "He just doesn't realize that not everyone sees things the way that he does."

* * *

"So, I was talking with Paige," Nick told Joanna at dinner.

"Oh? How's she doing?"

"She's doing fine. I asked her about coming out with Emily to be our witnesses."

"Can they make it?"

"Well, we didn't really get that far." Joanna looked puzzled, worried that Paige had tried to convince him that things were moving too fast. She knew that some people were skeptical about her feelings for Nick, because of the age difference. It wouldn't be surprising for his daughter to suspect that she was only after her father's money. "She thinks," Nick continued, pausing to let out a sigh that did nothing to calm Joanna's nerves, "that you might want something more formal than a wedding at city hall."

 _Oh_. Joanna didn't let out a visible sigh of relief that this is all that it was. "Nick, you know that I don't care where we get married. As long as we're married."

"I know that, Jody." Nick put his hand on top of hers. "But, if you had to choose, how would you like to get married?"

Joanna sighed. "Well, if it were just about me, I guess that I'd want to get married in Wilmington, with my family there."

Nick smiled. "Then, Wilmington it is!"

"But Nick -" Joanna leaned in closer. "It's not just about me. I don't want you to be outnumbered by all my family and friends from back home. I don't know that our friends from the office are going to want to make the trek down to Carolina. And you don't know my family all that well. Plus, it's not going to be easy to plan a wedding long-distance."

"It'll be fine," Nick assured her. "Why don't we plan to stay down there for a month before the wedding, so that I can get to know your family and we can take care of the detailed planning? I know that my daughter and her wife will be there. That's what matters to me. Anyone else who can make it will just be a bonus."

"Nick, are you sure? That would be incredible."

"It's supposed to be the happiest day of our lives, right?"

* * *

"So, we're going to Wilmington," Paige announced, when she got off the phone with her dad.

"Delaware?"

"No, North Carolina. That's where Joanna's family is from."

"Oh. She has more of a Delaware accent."

"I know. Get this: My Dad wanted me to ask Hanna to be their wedding planner!"

"You're kidding?"

"'So,'" Paige said in a deep voice, representing her father's, "'I guess this is going to be a big deal, now. Your wife's friend did a great job on your wedding. Do you think that she'd be available to come down?'"

Emily laughed. "And what did you tell him?"

"I told him that his fiancée probably knew someone, but that, if she doesn't, I would ask Hanna."

"Your dad..." Emily gave Paige a kiss. "I love him!"

Paige returned the kiss. "That means a lot to me, Em."

All of a sudden, Emily couldn't stop kissing Paige. Maybe it was the excitement over the wedding. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't seen her all morning. Maybe it was how soft Paige's lips felt when they were pressed against her own.

"Em - " Paige tried to talk between the kisses. "What came over you? It's the middle of the morning."

"I know," Emily said when their lips briefly parted. "Isn't it great not to have a roommate?"

Paige felt her lips smiling into the kiss. "So, we're doing this now?"

Emily responded by slipping her tongue between Paige's parted lips. She reached behind Paige's head and let her hair down, using it to pull Paige deeper into the kiss with one hand while she stroked Paige's arm with the other.

Paige started backing them into the bedroom, but Emily diverted them toward the couch. Before they got there, she lowered herself onto the carpet, pulling Paige by her collar down with her.

"On the floor, Em?" Those were the last intelligible words Paige said for a long time.

Emily meant business. She rolled on top of Paige, who looked up at her with shock, anticipation, and a little intimidation showing on her face as Emily sat straddling her. Emily's face was virtually dripping lust. She didn't take her time and enjoy herself as she usually did when she undressed Paige. She wanted her. Right then and there.

Emily pushed her hands under Paige's ribbed t-shirt and her bra and descended vampire-like onto Paige's neck. Paige was shocked - and shockingly wet. She couldn't control the wriggling of her thighs, and Emily mercifully reached a hand underneath her shorts to give her some relief. When Paige started emitting a series of moans, Emily swallowed them, placing her lips over Paige's mouth in a desperate attempt to feel the ardor of Paige's desire rumbling down her throat.

Emily needed more. She savagely yanked down Paige's shorts and began lapping away, sending Paige into convulsions of pleasure. She could have held Paige on the brink forever, had it not been for the way that Paige started pounding on the carpet, jerking her head from side to side. Emily mercifully gave her the release that she needed and gently held her as she came down, her body still shivering despite the late-summer heat.

Emily stood up eventually, apologetic as she handed Paige her clothes. "Sorry," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Paige grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. "Oh, no! You're not getting off that easily, Fields!"

* * *

"So, are we driving down to Wilmington?"

Paige laughed. "In your hunk of junk car?" She smirked and shook her head. When Emily opened her mouth to protest, Paige lifted a finger and said, "Canada?" Emily rolled her eyes. "Actually, my Dad's flying us down. You know, his out-of-state wedding; we're starving graduate students."

"Well, that's a relief. I'm not sure that I'm up for spending forever in a car again any time soon."

"It's too bad that we couldn't take a week off and stop over on the way. North Carolina is probably going to be the only state that we squeeze in this year."

"Yeah, too bad," Emily said sarcastically.

"You know, Em, with the amount of time that we're going to spend in the airports, it's not going to be much faster than driving."

"Maybe not, but it'll be less stressful. We don't have to be behind the wheel, don't have to stay awake, don't have to keep filling up the gas tank."

* * *

Emily laughed out loud when her very dejected-looking wife showed her the picture of their very Southern-Belle-from-Hell looking bridesmaid's dress. "Quit laughing," Paige said sadly. "You're the one who can actually pull this look off."

"It'll be fine, Paige. I'm just not used to seeing you…"

"Dressed as if I'm sipping sweet tea on my plantation?"

"In a dress," Emily finished.

"We're standing with my Dad. Why aren't we wearing tuxes?"

"Okay, as much as I would love to see you in a tux again, it's his wedding,"

"Joanna's wedding!" Paige muttered.

" _Their_ wedding. We need to let them enjoy it."

'But, Em…" Paige drew out the syllable like a whining child.

Emily stroked her cheek and gave her a quick kiss. "I know, Baby. Do it for your dad. It'll be quick." She gave Paige another kiss before she taunted her: "And the pictures will be on the internet for eternity!"

* * *

"You know the best thing about these dresses?" Emily asked as she and Paige got ready, with their dresses still on the hangers. Paige couldn't think of anything good about the dresses. "We're never going to wear them after tonight," Emily finished, supplying the answer to her own question.

"Hallelujah!" Paige shouted, raising her hands in praise.

"No, you're not following me. We're _never_ going to wear them again. So, you don't have to feel bad when you rip it off me."

Paige shook her head. "I'm going to be so wiped out by the time this wedding is over, I'm just going to want to crash."

"My ass!" Emily smirked.

"Whatever," Paige said dismissively.

"Look, Paige, no matter how unflattering these dresses are, and how non-sexy they're going to make you feel, you can't tell me that you honestly think that after you sit through the exchange of vows and all the toasts and the dancing at the reception, you're not going to be so moved that you want to jump me like a wild animal!"

"You're forgetting one thing."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"It's my DAD! Hello! Instant anti-aphrodisiac."

"Yeah, well, I guess we'll see, McCullers!"

"Yeah, I guess we will."

"Care to make it interesting?"

"What did you have in mind, Fields?"

"Well, if I'm right, you have to do some naked yoga for me tonight?"

"Before or after? Wait – after. If you're right, I'm not stopping for yoga before!"

"Well, if I'm right, you're going to be in no condition after I'm finished with you!"

"Hey – no fair! No stacking the odds in your favor with comments like that!"

"Okay – and if you win – as if I didn't know?"

"You owe me a lapdance. But not tonight. If I win, I won't be in the mood for a lapdance tonight. I get one free lapdance, payable on demand. So, if you're pissed off after a fight with Hanna, and the last thing you're in the mood for is giving me a lapdance, I still get the lapdance!"

"Deal!" Emily agreed. She didn't care what the stakes were. She knew that there was no way that she was going to lose this bet.

* * *

About twenty minutes into the reception, Paige started getting a little clingy. _Easiest bet I ever won_ , Emily thought. Paige turned mush not long after. "I don't care about the bet, Emily," she said smoothing her hand up and down the back of Emily's dress. "I just… I just need you so badly."

"You're drunk, Paige."

"I know. I know. I love you, Emily."

Emily drew Paige in for a kiss on the cheek. She was feeling guilty. This bet was all too easy, like opening a casino right next to Gamblers Anonymous.

When they finally got back to their room, Paige was holding Emily as close as their petticoated dresses would allow, kissing her desperately. Emily stepped away from Paige and threw her arms out at her side, offering the dress up to Paige, who obligingly ripped it off of her. Emily more slowly and reverently removed Paige's dress. Paige turned around to engulf Emily in her arms again, but Emily gently shoved her down onto the bed and began a slow, sensual striptease. "But, Emily! I lost the bet! I don't get a…"

Emily stopped her with a finger to her lips. "I know that you lost," she said "and I'm getting my naked yoga later. But for now," she cooed sexily, dropping her bustier to the ground, "I feel like dancing!"

* * *

"It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn't it?" Paige asked as Emily lazily ran her fingers up and down from Paige's shoulder blades to her thighs.

"It was, I'm surprised to say. Not what I expected based on those dresses!" Paige threw back the covers and started to get up. Emily grabbed her arm to stop her. "Where are you going?"

"I believe that I owe you some naked yoga!"

"No, stay with me and cuddle!" Emily pleaded, yanking her back into bed. "I'd rather just cuddle with you!"

"But, Emily, it's not right. You won, and you gave me my lapdance, and I lost, but I don't give you your naked yoga?"

"Can't I just take a rain check? Don't leave me!"

"Em… I'm not going to welch! I always pay my bets!"

"Oh, that was no bet," Emily asserted. "It was a sure thing! We _both_ knew we were going to end up making love tonight." Paige shot her a mocking glare. "And don't pretend that you didn't know it, Paige."

"Fine, whatever!" Paige yawned, throwing up her hands in surrender.

"Cross off North Carolina!" Emily said.

"You know," Paige yawned again, "We've got to get a new map. That other one is falling apart before our very eyes."

"No way!" Emily insisted. "We're _never_ getting rid of that map! It's a part of who we are!"

Paige groaned. "And I thought that _I_ was supposed to be the sentimental one!"

* * *

Paige woke up to searing pain in her shoulder and the sound of Emily's voice, desperately calling her name. As she shook the cobwebs off, she realized that Emily's nails were digging into her skin. She turned around to see Emily in the middle of freaking out. Her eyes were opened wide, and Paige followed her gaze to where a large bug was making its way up the wall across from the bed.

"Oh my God… Oh my God…. Oh my God… Paige, what _is_ that?"

"It's a _bug_ , Em. We have them in Philadelphia, remember?" Paige was trying not to sound too patronizing.

"Kill it, Paige!"

"Why?" Paige chuckled. "What has it done?"

"I'm not kidding, Paige! Kill it! Now!"

"Emily, don't freak out!"

"I _am_ freaking, out, Paige! Kill it!" Paige hauled her naked body out of bed and headed to the bathroom. "Where are you going?" Emily screamed. Paige turned and looked back at Emily in bed. Her hands were balled into fists, which she held protectively in front of her face. Her eyes peeked in between them, not wanting to look at the bug, but afraid to let it out of her sight.

"I'm going to the bathroom to get a tissue!"

"Hurry!" Emily urged.

Paige returned with a tissue, and Emily grimaced, a shiver running from her head to her shoulders as she saw Paige squish her fingers together and heard the faint crunch. "It's dead," Paige assured her. "Do you want to see the body?" Emily shook her head and retreated beneath the covers. Paige disposed of the tissue in the bathroom and washed her hands. When she climbed back into bed, Emily held her as though she had just saved her life.

"You'd better not be laughing at me!" Emily said with a slight sniffle.

Paige rubbed her back and kissed her gently. "Emily, I didn't know that you had a thing about bugs," she said by way of apology. "I'd never seen you like that around bugs before. Everybody has phobias. I would never make fun of that."

Emily kissed her and tightened her grip. "Just hold me, okay?"

"Always," Paige said, as Emily let out a long sigh into her shoulder.

* * *

"So, what are you afraid of?" Emily asked quietly, long after the incident. Paige thought that Emily was already asleep.

Paige thought it over. She was going to say something cute like, "Falling. I'm afraid of falling too hard for you," but she realized that Emily needed some to hear some proof of her assertion that everyone has phobias, so she decided to be honest. "Mice, rats. Any kind of rodent. It's silly, really. I mean, we grew up practically in the woods. There were field mice and all kinds of vermin out there. It's just – when one gets in my house…"

Emily nodded her head and smoothed her hand through Paige's hair, caressing her ear and resting her hand on her cheek. She kissed her. It felt good, for some reason, to know that Paige actually understood her fear; that she hadn't said what she had said just to prevent Emily from feeling embarrassed. "Thank you," she said, softly.

Paige took a deep breath, as if she were afraid of what she was about to say. Emily gave her cheek another stroke to encourage her. Paige began:

There isn't much that I can do,  
But I can share my hopes with you,  
And I can share my fears with you,  
And sometimes shed some tears with you,  
As on our way we go.

Emily kissed her with a big smile. "What was that?"

Paige just shrugged. "It's a verse from a poem that we learned in high school. I'd forgotten all about it till just now."

"It's beautiful," Emily said, kissing her again.

* * *

"Did my Dad show you that card that they got from Fred and Gloria?" Paige asked as they packed up their bags in the morning. Nick and Joanna hadn't registered for their wedding, since they both had well-established households. Instead, on their invitations, they asked people to make a donation to the charity of their choice.

"Yeah – it was sweet. It's a shame that they weren't able to make it out for the wedding. It would have been great to see them. I know that it's a long way, though."

"Plus, I don't think that they're traveling as much anymore," Paige said sadly.

Emily let out a sigh. "Yeah. I think that you're right. I just didn't want to admit it. We definitely need to make time to go out and visit them."

"Definitely." After a moment, Paige continued, "We're so lucky to live so close to our parents."

"Definitely," Emily echoed. "It would be so hard to live far away from them. Well, that's what it feels like – it feels like having family way out in California."

When they finished packing, the left their bags in the room and went down to meet Emily's parents for breakfast. Pam and Wayne had driven down, and Paige and Emily were going to drive back with them. There was plenty of room in Wayne's Patriot, and, with him and Paige splitting the driving, it wouldn't be so bad. Paige and Emily had flown down on one-way tickets, because they needed to get to Wilmington earlier, for fittings and family functions. They were looking forward to the opportunity to spend time with Emily's parents on the drive back.

Paige rode shotgun while Wayne drove the first leg. He was eager to fill her in on his progress with the Camaro. She wanted to pick his brain about replacing Emily's car. Pam and Emily had much to catch up on, as well, but the first thing that they caught up on was sleep. Paige posted a picture of Emily sleeping like a baby on her mom's shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According the internet, the lines that Paige quoted are from the poem "Sharing," by Maude V. Preston.


	26. Baby Talk

Paige and Emily made good on their promise to make time for each other. The first step was declaring Saturday and Sunday mornings non-working time. Their Saturday morning routine involved breakfast or brunch at a restaurant that they'd never tried before, often with Caleb and Hanna joining them. Sunday mornings were just for them. They often sat in bed reading the paper and doing the puzzles together, and then taking the opportunity to reconnect physically. Showers, baths, dancing, and naked yoga were often in the mix.

In the second and final year of Paige's master's program, her travel budget had enabled them to earn Xs in Virginia and Missouri. That summer, they finally made their postponed trip up to New Hampshire, on their way to Maine. Emily did a summer session in Manchester. she stayed on after it ended, heading south to spend a week with Aria and Ezra in London. Ezra had a research fellowship that allowed them to spend their summers in London, and they took a seasonal rental for his stays there. As she had done when Emily was in Florence, Paige flew out to be with her for that last week, only this time, it was Paige who got the surprise. On the evening that they crossed the UK off of their list, Paige purred with delight to discover that Emily had gotten her navel pierced. "I wanted to do it when it would have enough time to heal before I saw you again," Emily explained. Paige didn't need an explanation. She just enjoyed the show. "I never thought that anything would get your attention off my boobs," Emily laughed, marveling at the way that Paige was virtually mesmerized by the movement of the jewel in her navel as her hips swayed rhythmically from side to side.

"Don't worry," Paige responded, not bothering to look up from the sparkling jewel and the perfect, tanned abdomen that surrounded it. "I haven't lost any love for the girls. But this…" She trailed off, getting off the bed and grabbing Emily's waist, her gaze still fixed upon her navel as she dropped to her knees and rested the side of her head on Emily's stomach. Emily laughed and ruffled Paige's hair. It wasn't the jewelry itself that had gotten Paige going. It was the fact that Emily had gotten the piercing just for her. She almost felt like crying. She looked up at Emily, misty-eyed, and Emily gently eased her up to her feet.

"I love you, too," Emily said, having read in Paige's eyes the words that her trembling lips hadn't actually said out loud.

"By the way," Paige confessed later that evening, stroking her fingers across Emily's navel as the two of them cuddled together on the bed in the spare room, "as much as I love your boobs, I'm more of a leg woman."

"You like my legs, do you?" Emily asked, lifting a leg off the bed and rubbing it sensually for Paige to appreciate.

"Oh, yes," Paige confirmed. "I love your legs." She paused for effect. "Especially when they're hugging my ears."

Emily laughed and sat up on top of Paige. "I think that can be arranged."

* * *

When Paige finished her master's degree, she joined an osteopathic practice in South Jersey, doing rehab and physical therapy work. She and Emily stayed in the city while Emily finished her dissertation and her doctorate, although they had to move to the other side of the river from University of Pennsylvania. Paige complained that she was doing the reverse commute: Living in the city (and paying the city wage tax) while working in the suburbs. On the positive side, though, she missed rush hour traffic in both directions.

It bothered Paige that, because she had to drive their only car into South Jersey to get to work, Emily had to take public transportation to and from Penn. Paige worried about those nights when she was stuck at work and couldn't pick Emily up after hours. In those rare instances, though, Caleb or Hanna had been available to give Emily a ride home. This was before Caleb and Hanna moved out to the suburbs.

The stock in the company for which Caleb worked skyrocketed when a rumor hit Wall Street. It was a small, young company, and, without a lot of cash on hand, they included a lot of company stock in their employee compensation package. When the stock's price surged, Hanna and Caleb suddenly found themselves with a lot of cash on their hands. Hanna admitted to Caleb that she had always dreamed of an island wedding, and their new-found fortune meant that they could fly their family and their closest friends down to the Bahamas for the week of the wedding. It was the first time that all of them – Hanna and Caleb, Paige and Emily, Spencer and Toby, Aria and Ezra, and Pru (with Luke, who was joining them for the first time) – had been together since Paige and Emily's wedding.

It was an amazing outdoor ceremony on the beach, with a little platform to keep the sand in check. Everything was beautiful. The sky formed a perfect, blue backdrop, the weather couldn't have been better, and the rolling of the waves and the occasional call of birds that flew overhead made for a calming soundtrack.

And then there were the bridesmaids' dresses. Paige commented that they were the opposite of Joanna's bridesmaids' dresses: coral-toned bikini tops over sandstone skirts cut high on one side, with flip flops. Emily wore her hair down, and the breeze was hitting it just right. She caught Paige, who was standing with Caleb's groomsmen, staring hungrily at her and at the glistening pearl that was floating around her navel. Paige and the groomsmen were dressed in bright, island-print shirts over starched white shorts that hit at the knee. Emily looked Paige up and down and gave her a wink, and Paige almost collapsed on the spot.

By the time the reception started, Paige was ready to sneak Emily off to the ladies' room. It didn't help that Emily was feeling sexy and kept finding ways for their bodies to touch all throughout dinner. Paige's move in response was pretending to whisper something in Emily's ear, when, in reality, she was just brushing her lips against it and groaning sensually. Each time she did this, Emily responded by tracing her index finger behind Paige's earlobe down to her chin, or, if she had been particularly moved, tracing it up the inseam of Paige's starched white shorts. Finally, the meal was over, Caleb and Hanna had their first dance, and they opened the floor for the rest of the guests. Paige and Emily couldn't wait to get out there, to do vertically what they would soon be doing horizontally in the privacy of their cabana.

* * *

"Something about you and weddings, isn't there?" Emily teased when she regained her breath.

"We've got to get Pru, Spencer, and Aria married right away," Paige firmly decided.

"I can't believe that Hanna let you wear this during the ceremony," Paige said, idly twiddling the pearl in Emily's navel as they cuddled up in bed.

"Actually," Emily clarified, "she insisted on it."

_Hanna was pinning Aria's skirt, barking out numbers to her assistant, but she stopped abruptly when Emily emerged from the dressing room in her bridesmaid's outfit. Hanna's eyes were immediately fixated on her navel._

_"Okay, let's call that 24 inches and - HOLY... WHEN did you get that?" All of the heads in the room followed Hanna's gaze to the gleam reflecting from Emily's navel._

_Emily grabbed at it with her fingers. "This? I got it during my summer session in Manchester."_

_"Emily..." Spencer crooked her eyebrow, thinking what everyone else was thinking: Emily was the last person whom they'd expect to see with a navel piercing._

_Emily shrugged nonchalantly. "I did it for Paige. She thought that it would look... nice." Emily said, censoring herself, rather than saying "sexy," as Paige had. "Don't worry, Hanna, I won't wear it during the actual ceremony!"_

_"Oh, no!" Hanna said with a smile and a hug. "You're_ definitely _wearing it to the ceremony! I just wish that I had thought of it in time to get all of you to pierce your navels!"_

_Aria, without thinking, protectively covered her navel with her hands. She was feeling exposed enough without a shiny piece of jewelry to draw everyone's attention to her midriff._

"And you didn't mind?" Paige wondered out loud.

"Well, I would've protested, but the thought of you catching glimpses of it out of the corner of your eye, getting hotter and hotter..."

"You like doing that to me, don't you?"

"And I like what you do to me, when I do that to you."

"You know that you're doing it now, right?"

Emily smiled, crawling on top of Paige and stroking from the sides of Paige's face down to her shoulders. "Then, bring it on, Tiger!"

* * *

After Paige built up a reputation and some clientele, she was able to join a practice affiliated with the Jefferson University Hospital system. Emily was teaching at Villanova, and researching, publishing, and presenting papers on Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian literature and Poetry. They were the happy parents of Ramona, a Black Labrador that they met when they were volunteering at an animal shelter on their road trip to Delaware. Mona had a pleasant disposition and was well-suited to city living. She loved to accompany Paige on her morning runs, and Emily on her coffee runs. In the evenings, when the weather was nice, the three of them loved to toss Frisbees around at a nearby dog park, where they each made new friends.

As much as Mona liked the city, she loved visiting the lake house with Nick and Joanna, where she could run through the woods, wade through the water, and chase after squirrels and other animal life without being constrained by a leash. She and Wayne became instant friends on her first visit to Rosewood, and, although Pam protested that she didn't want "that unsanitary animal" in her house, it wasn't long before she fell captive to Mona's charm.

But the one who really hit it off with Mona was Hanna. They were best buds. It was Hanna, according to her version of the story, who shortened the name to "Mona," because "'Ramona' is no name for a cutie like this."

Hanna was largely responsible for Mona's training, since Mona would do things for Hanna that she wouldn't do for anyone else (and vice versa, Emily pointed out).

No one else could've gotten Mona to wear the jingle bells and reindeer antlers that Hanna gave her for the Christmas season. Hanna had a matching pair of antlers for herself, and the two of them looked adorable in the Christmas card that Hanna sent out that year.

"She's not your dog, Hanna!" Emily yelled into the phone when she opened her card.

"Oh, shush! I'm her cool Auntie Hanna! And she loves me, don't you, Girl? Emily, put me on speaker!" Emily complied, smiling despite herself, and Mona enthusiastically wagged her entire rear end in delight at the sound of her Aunt Hanna's voice.

* * *

Mona was a great friend and a loyal companion, but she wasn't a substitute for a child of their own. So it was that Paige and Emily were engaged in the conversation that they found themselves having every couple of months. This time, the subject came up after the announcement that Hanna and Caleb, after almost a full year of marriage, were expecting.

"All that I'm saying, Em, is that we're not getting any younger. If we wait until our lives settle down and we have all the time that we wish we had, we're going to be too old to start a family."

"We're not _that_ old, Paige!" Emily protested. "And our lives are incredibly crazy right now. We have a hard enough time just keeping up with Mona."

"And when do you see our schedules easing up? We just have to make the decision to push ahead, and then start planning our lives around a child. It's just like the way that we had to plan our schedules so that we'd have time for each other. There's never going to be a perfect time to have a baby, Em. We'll be waiting till we retire"

Emily let out a deep breath. "I know, I know. Just let me hang on to that fantasy that our lives are going to calm down someday, okay?" She wrapped her arms around Paige's waist by way of surrender. She really did want to start a family, probably at least as much as Paige wanted to, but she was worried that their schedules wouldn't allow them to give children the attention and nurture that they need.

"We can cut back on things, Emily. I mean, I can cut back on my hours volunteering at the Y."

"Yeah, but you love that time. I know how much you love those kids."

"I do, but I want to start loving _our_ kids, I want…"

"I know, Paige. You're right. We just need to get serious. Besides, if we don't hurry up…" Emily trailed off.

"If we don't hurry up what?" Emily had just argued that they weren't that old. Paige was surprised that she seemed to be preparing to argue the opposite point.

"If we don't hurry up, you're going to end up being a big sister before you're a mother!" Emily pinched Paige in the side and ran squealing down the hall, where a laughing Paige chased her down. Mona, hearing the ruckus, came running into the hall and began circling the two of them. She wanted to play, too.

Emily had a point, though. The hints coming from her side of the family were about how badly her parents wanted to be grandparents, but, from Paige's side, the hints were about how badly her father and stepmother wanted to be _parents_. It was too weird for Paige to process. "Our child is going to end up being older than his aunt!"

"Or _her_ aunt!" Emily clarified.

They had been putting money into their Fertility Fund (The nickname came from Pru and just stuck.) back when Paige first started practicing physical therapy. Now, it was time for them to start talking specifics.

Emily started. "Okay, so. We need to decide who's going to be the birth mother."

Paige leaned against the wall, trying to adopt a non-combative posture. "Don't take this the wrong way, Em, but I want my babies to look like you." Emily started to protest, but Paige continued. "And that's not me being insecure about my looks, it's just – you've got such a beautiful complexion and great hair…" She ran her hand through Emily's hair. It wasn't so much to make her point; it was just that the mention of it made her want to feel it through her fingers.

"Okay, Paige. I'm going to respect that as an honest opinion," Emily said, placing her hands on Paige's chest. "But don't you want to experience the thrill of childbirth?"

Paige didn't reply as quickly as she could have, thinking that a serious question deserved serious consideration. "I'm not going to close the door to that, Emily, and maybe it will be different after I see you go through the experience, but, when I think about childbirth, I always think about being there with _you_ ¸ coaching you as you breathe, holding your hand, watching as our baby comes out." Emily couldn't help herself. She grabbed Paige and kissed her with all of her heart. She was just amazed at how much she was loved by Paige. If it had been possible, she would have conceived right there.

"I know that our baby is going to be loved," she said, as she continued to hold onto her wife, giving her hard, deep kisses.

Paige pulled back from her with a laugh. "Emily, is this you trying to distract me so that I'll forget about the baby thing?"

Emily stared intensely into Paige's eyes, reaching her hands under the sleeves of Paige's t-shirt and gripping her shoulders. "Paige, believe me, I have never in my life wanted anything more than I want to be the mother of our children right now." Paige resumed their kissing, and Emily revised her statement. "Well, maybe not _right_ now. Right now, all I want is me inside of you, and you inside of me."

Mona put her head down and slowly loped back to her dog bed. She'd seen this pattern before. She knew that it would be a while before anyone would be available to play with her. She had learned that the noises that she would soon hear coming from the bedroom were not cries of distress.

* * *

"How do you think that Mona's going to respond to kids?" Emily wondered as they lay lazily in bed.

"I don't know. The kids at the park all love her, and she's very patient with them, but"

"But, yeah. It'll be different when there's a child actually living with us, competing with her for our affection."

"Yeah. And this apartment's going to seem a lot smaller."

Emily leaned up on an elbow. "Sooner or later, we're going to have to talk about Philadelphia, Paige," she said.

Paige smiled. "You know, I never thought that it would a problem for me. I grew up hating big cities and always dreamed of living someplace rural, like where I grew up. But, I don't know…"

"The city grows on you."

"Yeah. Do you feel that, too?"

"Absolutely. I always enjoyed visiting Philadelphia when I was growing up, but I never would have dreamed that I would actually like _living_ in a city. But, I do. I really do. It's just that…"

"I know," Paige agreed. "I'm not sure how great it is for raising kids."

"I mean, great that they would see different cultures and lifestyles"

"And all the museums and libraries"

"But not having a yard, or a pool…"

"And with the school system. And the crime."

"Ugh." Emily was frustrated. "Why did I bring this up?"

"Well," Paige reasoned, "We don't have to decide tonight, or even soon. First we've got to get you pregnant, then we've got a good nine months before our perfect little son or daughter comes out, and we can procrastinate for a couple of years before school enters the picture. We'll have time to research, to talk to other parents, to see how we feel. Who knows? We may be tired of city living by then."

"I'm tired of this conversation, I can tell you that!" Emily laughed.

"Fine!" Paige climbed on top of her wife, the future mother of her children, and began kissing her. "Let's table it!"

* * *

When they heard Mona whimpering outside their door, they knew that they needed to get up and give her some attention. Paige threw on some sweats, tossing Emily's clothes over to her, and opened the door. Mona jumped up and joined them in the bed, relishing the attention that they were lavishing on her.

"You know who's _really_ going to be excited about this?" Emily asked.

"Besides our parents?"

"Yes, besides them."

"Fred and Gloria?"

"Yeah – they'll be over the moon."

"When do you think that we should tell people?"

Emily had given this some thought. "Well, we should tell our parents that we're trying. And it's probably going to be hard to keep it from Hanna and Caleb, since we might end up having to lean on them for some dog-sitting once we start going through all of the appointments and procedures."

"Which means telling Spencer and Aria, too."

"Exactly – and Pru."

"But Fred and Gloria?"

"I don't know. It's not that I don't _want_ to tell them," Emily reasoned, "it's just that it could be a long process, and…"

"Yeah. We don't want to lead them along. Especially since –"

"Don't say it," Emily pleaded, resting her hand on the side of Paige's head. Gloria's health had been deteriorating, although neither one of them wanted to admit it. "God – I just can't imagine."

"I know," Paige said, cradling Emily's head and kissing the top of it.

"And, poor Fred. What's he going to do if he loses her?"

"He told me that, if she dies, he's going to hold his breath until he joins her." Paige tried to laugh.

Mona crawled up between them, licking their faces and nudging them gently with her nose. She could tell that the mood in the room had changed, and she wanted them to be happy again. Emily hugged her, and Paige scratched her belly. Soon, they were smiling again, and Mona was wagging her tail in triumphant pride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I lost track of all of the states that Paige and Emily have crossed off their list (I actually answered that question incorrectly in an A/N after Chapter 19…), so I made a list. There's nothing in this chapter after the list, so you can stop reading now, unless this actually interests you. :)
> 
> A. United States:
> 
> 1\. First Time (Lake Tahoe): California
> 
> 2\. Stanford Swim Team: Arizona
> 
> 3\. Stanford Swim Team: Oregon
> 
> 4\. Stanford Swim Team: Washington
> 
> 5\. Nick's House (Summer after Freshman Year): Pennsylvania
> 
> 6\. Potomac Area Stanford Club: Maryland
> 
> 7\. Hastings Shore House: New Jersey
> 
> 8\. Spring Break: Florida
> 
> 9\. Stanford Swim Team: New Mexico
> 
> 10\. Stanford Swim Team: Nevada
> 
> 11\. Spring Break: Texas
> 
> 12\. National Swim Team: Colorado
> 
> 13\. Bucket List Tour: Oklahoma
> 
> 14\. Bucket List Tour: Arkansas
> 
> 15\. Bucket List Tour: Louisiana
> 
> 16\. Honeymoon: Hawaii
> 
> 17\. Shotgun Trip: Connecticut
> 
> 18\. Shotgun Trip: Rhode Island
> 
> 19\. Shotgun Trip: Vermont
> 
> 20\. Shotgun Trip: Massachusetts
> 
> 21\. Shotgun Trip: New York
> 
> 22\. Nick's Wedding: North Carolina
> 
> 23\. Paige's Seminar: Virginia
> 
> 24\. Paige's Seminar: Missouri
> 
> 25\. Road Trip: New Hampshire
> 
> 26\. Road Trip: Maine
> 
> 27\. Road Trip: Delaware (Adopted Ramona)
> 
> B. Other Countries:
> 
> 1\. Stanford Swim Team: Mexico
> 
> 2\. Honeymoon: New Zealand
> 
> 3\. Honeymoon: Australia
> 
> 4\. Study Abroad: Italy
> 
> 5\. Summer after First Year in Grad School: Canada
> 
> 6\. Study Abroad: United Kingdom
> 
> 7\. Hanna's Wedding: Bahamas


	27. Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, etc.

_Of course!_ Emily thought as she heard the pounding of raindrops against the tiny window in her cramped office. _Perfect!_

She was having a perfectly horrible day. She woke up late, and, because Paige needed the car, she had to take the train and the bus to Villanova. She had departmental meetings to sit through all morning. When they finally broke for lunch, she realized that she had left hers on the bus on the way in. _I hope someone who really needed it found it_ , she thought. She lost three pages of research when her computer froze up. And when she finally got a call back from the librarian in Ottawa whom she had been trying to reach for two weeks, she missed the call because she was away from her desk.

So, of course, it would rain, on the night when Paige had to work late and couldn't her up.

The rain, which had been a steady drizzle all afternoon, was now a full-blown downpour. Ordinarily, Emily didn't mind the three-block walk to the bus stop, but ordinarily, the skies weren't unleashing their fury the way that they were tonight. She thought of waiting out the storm, but realized that it wouldn't work. She might be able to wait out the downpour, but it was going to be drizzling all night, and she didn't want to be out that late.

She decided to text Paige. Maybe there was a chance that she could duck out of work early.

**Emily: Really coming down hard right now. Any chance that you could swing by here with the car? :)**

**Paige: :( Slammed here. So sorry, Love. Wish I hadn't taken the car this AM. Can you get a ride? :)**

Emily didn't bother to type out a reply. Maybe walking in the rain actually _was_ perfect. It would help to keep her in her sulking mood. She wasn't mad at Paige, but she just wanted to feel blue for a while. She had earned it. She pulled her hoodie over her head and headed for the elevators, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her eyes staring at the ground.

The sight that she saw when the elevator doors opened immediately perked her up. There was her wife, standing with a goofy grin on her face, an umbrella in one hand and a bouquet of white tulips - Emily's favorite - in the other. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked through a goofy grin of her own, not unfolding her arms as she moved in close so that Paige would hug her.

"I wanted to surprise you!" Paige said, her smile now wide across her face. As she backed away from the hug, she handed Emily the tulips and took Emily's messenger bag off of her shoulder.

"And what's with the flowers?"

"You're getting pampered tonight. Now, no more questions." Paige held the door and the umbrella open for Emily and escorted her to the car. She opened the passenger door and held the umbrella in place while Emily got in, then went around to the driver's side, tossed the umbrella in the back, and climbed behind the wheel.

Emily was going through a mental calendar, trying to figure out why Paige had decided to pamper her tonight. It wasn't her birthday; it wasn't any anniversary that she could think of. "Pamper an Lit Professor Day," perhaps? That sounded like the kind of obscure thing that Paige would have heard about.

Paige dropped Emily off at the lobby, getting out with the umbrella so that Emily would have some protection from the downpour on the short walk across the sidewalk to the cover of the building's awning. She really wanted to ask Emily to wait for her at the elevator while she parked the car in the lot behind the building, because she wanted to be there when Emily opened the door to the apartment. She knew, however, from the texts that Emily had sent her all day and from her body language when the elevator doors had opened in the lobby at Villanova, that Emily would want to get upstairs and onto the couch as soon as possible. Paige parked the car and dashed to the elevators to find, to her surprise, that Emily was sitting on the settee waiting for her.

"You're tired, Em. You should've gone up!"

Emily stood up and melted under Paige's arm, and Paige understood why she had waited. When the elevator doors closed, Emily wrapped her arms around Paige's waist. "I'm all wet, Emily!" Paige tried to back her rain-soaked clothes away from Emily, but Emily just wordlessly squeezed her tighter.

When Paige opened the door to the apartment and ushered Emily inside, Emily gasped, cupping her hands in front of her mouth. The apartment was bathed in candlelight, and the table was set for dinner with a tablecloth and the good plates. There was low jazz playing through the speakers in the living room. "Paige, what's all this?"

Paige shrugged her shoulders. "I just thought that we needed to have a night to ourselves while we still can, you know, since things are going to get really intense, now that we're getting serious about getting pregnant,." Emily smiled at Paige. She couldn't believe that she had such a caring, thoughtful wife. "I'm sorry; I picked like the worst possible night, didn't I?" Emily shut her up with a long, soulful kiss, her wrists locked behind Paige's neck.

"You really spoil me, do you know that?" she asked before giving her another kiss. "You even knew that I wouldn't feel like going out tonight."

"Oh, that…" Paige paused before she confessed. "Actually, I was thinking that we needed to start being careful about how we spend our money, since the insemination process can get really expensive."

Emily laughed. "And she's practical, too!" Her wrists were still locked behind Paige's neck, and Paige's arms were still around her waist. She kissed her again. "The perfect wife!"

Paige went to pour Emily a glass of wine. "It's going to take me a couple of minutes to get dinner on the table. Here," she said, handing her the glass, "relax on the couch, and I'll be right with you."

"Actually," Emily said, putting the glass down next to her plate on the table, "I feel kind of icky. Do I have time to freshen up a bit?"

"Sure! Take your time! But I'm giving you a bath later, just so you know."

Emily turned back and smiled at her sweet wife before she disappeared into the bedroom. Paige set to work putting the final touches on dinner. "Where's Mona?" Emily called out from the bedroom.

"Hanna and Caleb's for the weekend." Paige called back. A moment later, she shouted a confession, "Hanna helped me get dinner together, too."

Emily was taking her time in the back, so Paige grabbed herself a glass and started to pour herself some wine. When Emily emerged from the bedroom, Paige dropped the glass and heard it shatter at her feet. She didn't see it crash. Her eyes never strayed from Emily, who had changed into pumps and a short, purple dress that fit her curves just as well as it had when Paige first saw the dress at the swim team's awards dinner their freshman year at Stanford. There was a reason that Emily had chosen that particular dress way back then. It was the same reason that she had chosen it for this night, and she smirked, seeing that it still got that reaction from Paige. She casually strolled over to the table and sat sideways in her seat, folding her legs in Paige's direction. "Are you ready for me?" she purred, in a low, seductive whisper.

Paige took a paper towel and pushed the broken glass under the base of the counter, where no one would get hurt before they had a chance to clean it up. Then, she poured herself another glass of wine with trembling hands and joined Emily at the table, her eyes unable to make it any higher than the hem on Emily's dress. Emily laughed and pulled Paige's head in close with both hands, so that she could whisper in her ear, "You make me feel so sexy." Paige shook her head and grinned, as if she had anything to do with it.

Emily tucked her legs under the table, and they managed to make it through dinner without any more broken dishes. Emily didn't manage to keep her feet to herself, kicking off her shoes and running her toes up and down Paige's calves. "I really needed this tonight, Paige. Thanks," she said, with a clink of her glass against Paige's.

* * *

Paige stood up and held out her hand to help Emily up. She led her into the bedroom. "Sit here, while I draw your bath." In a moment, the smell of bath oils filled the air, and Paige came back for her. She removed Emily's left shoe, giving her foot a brief massage, and repeated the process with Emily's right shoe and foot. Next, she stood Emily up and turned her around. She put Emily's hair up in a bun and unzipped her, tickling her fingers down Emily's spine. Emily let the dress fall down to her waist, and Paige, standing behind her, kissed her neck and shoulders before unclasping her lacy bra and fondling her chest. Emily squiggled under the attention, causing the dress to fall to the floor. Paige kissed her way down Emily's spine, reverently removing Emily's only remaining article of clothing. Emily turned around, and Paige took in the sight that always felt as though she were seeing it for the first time – noticing, to her pleasant surprise, that Emily had taken the time to put a ring in her navel.

Emily pushed up Paige's shirt and pulled her in by her waist to kiss her. Paige enjoyed the feeling of the golden ring as it rubbed against her bared abdominals. She picked Emily up – an action that always drew a surprised gasp from her wife – and carried her into the bathroom. She laid Emily in the tub, putting a gel-mask over her eyes. "You soak for a bit," Paige said, "while I tidy up the kitchen."

Emily was starting to miss Paige and was about to yell to her that cleaning up could wait when she heard Paige's feet striding urgently down the hall. She sensed Paige kneeling down towards the tub and smiled in anticipation of the kiss that was on its way. "Miss me?" Paige asked. Emily answered by reaching up to find Paige's head and pulling her back in for a proper, deeper kiss.

Paige scooted to the other end of the tub and ran a pumice stone over Emily's feet and toes. She warmed up a cloth and gently washed Emily from bottom to top. Finally, she sat Emily up in the tub and massaged her shoulders and neck. The bathroom was hot and steamy, but not as hot and steamy as the moans that came out of Emily's mouth were making Paige.

Paige took the gel mask off of Emily's eyes and helped her stand up. Emily smiled and tried her best to resist kissing Paige again, who had changed into a set of silk pajamas and boxers since Emily saw her last, but she couldn't. Paige patted her dry with a towel that felt as though it had just come out of the dryer, warm and fluffy, and handed her a robe that had been similarly warmed.

"Okay, Em. You have a choice. We can go to the bedroom, and I'll give you a full-body massage, or we can cuddle up on the couch, and watch a movie."

Emily moaned at the thought of both options, but there was really no contest. After Paige had surprised her at her office, had prepared the romantic dinner, and had pampered her in the tub, the only thing that she wanted was to cuddle up with her, skin to skin, with occasional kisses. She threw her arms behind Paige's neck and kissed her. "So what are we watching?" she asked with a grin.

"Whatever you want!" Paige smiled, as she ushered Emily into the living room.

"Whatever I want, huh?" Emily tilted her head back and put a finger on her chin, as if thinking it over. Paige let out a fake sigh and sat Emily down on the couch as she fired up the DVD, on which "Rudy" was already cued up.

It didn't matter what the movie was. They wouldn't see much of it anyway.

Emily immediately nestled under Paige's arm, and Paige's heart swelled as it always did. Emily undid one of the buttons on Paige's pajama top so that she could slip a hand in and caress Paige's stomach as she gently sucked at the side of Paige's neck. Paige similarly loosened the belt around Emily's robe and reached behind her waist, pulling Emily on top of her.

Paige felt Emily's arm flailing around on the couch as her other arm rested atop Paige's stomach. Paige couldn't figure out what was going on until she heard the TV click off and felt the room darken. "I love you Rudy," Emily said, "but you're killing the mood!"

Paige and Emily continued their slow, patient exploration of each other's bodies, both of them sensing the need not to get too heated up. They didn't want to waste all of that romantic build-up with a quickie on the cramped sofa. Emily stood up and bent over to get her face close to Paige's, as Paige struggled to catch her breath. "Paige_" Emily drew out the syllable for an impossibly long time.

"Yeah?" Paige's voice cracked after she heard the desperation in Emily's voice.

"Dance with me?" Emily begged, pouting ever so slightly, as if she were asking Paige to do her a huge favor. As if dancing with Emily were anything less than the single greatest thrill that two people could engage in with their clothes on – and it was considerably greater than a lot of activities that people could engage in _without_ their clothes. Paige smiled and took the hands that Emily extended to help her up. She dashed over to restart the slow jazz through the speakers and dashed back to Emily, wrapping her arms around her waist. Emily put her hands around Paige's neck and they swayed, slowly, back and forth across the room, their lips parting only long enough for them to moisten them and reconnect.

"Paige?" Emily murmured, her head on Paige's chest as their feet continued to roam around the room.

"Mm hmm?" Paige sleepily replied.

"I love you." Emily gave Paige a quick kiss and put her head back on her shoulder.

"I love you, too, Emily." Paige rubbed her cheek against the top of Emily's head.

"Did you ever think that we could be so happy?"

Paige moaned quietly and held Emily tighter.

"Paige?" Emily drawled out again.

"Yes, Love?"

"Would you fuck me, now?"

"Absolutely!" Nothing could surprise Paige, at this point.

"Because tonight has been really romantic and… perfect, but I just want to be fucked right now."

Paige nodded her understanding. She tilted Emily's chin up and kissed her hard, moving her hands to the inside Emily's robe and dropping it to the floor. She threw Emily over her shoulder and smacked her on her bottom as she jogged to the bedroom and tossed her face down on the bed, jumping on top of her. Emily reached behind her back, grabbing and pinching wherever she could reach on Paige's body. Paige yanked Emily's hair out of its bun, pulling her head to the side and biting and kissing the side of her neck as she ground her hips into Emily, rattling the mattress. Emily grabbed a fistful of Paige's ass and dug her nails in, screaming words of encouragement.

Paige sat up on Emily's ass and began roughly massaging her back. Emily's legs began kicking up and down on the bed, tingling with energy. She felt the wetness through Paige's boxers, and she was getting impatient. Somehow, she managed to roll onto her back underneath Paige, and the desperate look on her face was all the communication that Paige needed.

Paige forcefully spread Emily's legs wide and pressed her palm against her moist, hot center. Emily moaned in frustration, so Paige thrust her finger deep inside and out again, feeling Emily clench with each stroke. Emily was digging her nails into Paige's shoulder, and, as her hips rose from the mattress to meet Paige's thrusts, Paige grabbed and clawed her ass. Emily's breath became shallow, so Paige loosened her grip on her ass, twiddling Emily's clit with her thumb instead. "You… Are… So... Fucking… Sexy…" Paige growled, each word as desperate as the stroke it accompanied. And Emily lost it. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her stomach and her walls clenched, and her body collapsed beneath Paige. Paige held on, gently rubbing Emily's side until her breathing evened out. When it did, Paige moved up alongside Emily and kissed her gently.

Emily pulled Paige's arm underneath her neck, turning her body in toward Paige's. "Hold me like that first night," she asked. Paige smiled, thinking to herself, _If only you'd been naked that first night!_ "Did you know that you loved me that first night?" Emily heard herself asking, realizing how stupid the question was once it left her lips.

"Maybe not my conscious mind, but my subconscious mind did," Paige replied, remembering the dreams that she had dreamt that night. "Remember?" Paige had shyly confessed those dreams to Emily years later, feeling embarrassed and pathetic to admit what had been going through her subconscious mind.

Emily nodded. "I was under your arm in every dream. We both knew that it was the place where I belong."

"Nobody but you belongs there, Em," Paige asserted, kissing the top of Emily's head before they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Paige awoke to the smell of bacon just before Emily pushed her way into the room bearing a breakfast tray which she set down in front of Paige as Paige sat up in the bed. Smiling, she surveyed the tray in front of her: half a grapefruit, scrambled egg whites, two strips of bacon, two triangle-cut slices of toast, a glass of tomato juice, a smoothie, and a single tulip from the previous night's bouquet in a slender silver vase. Paige smiled, extending her arm in a silent invitation for Emily to join her. "Someone's been busy!"

Emily settled in beside Paige. "I wanted to do something for you," she explained. "It's not a romantic, candlelit dinner, but..."

Paige bent her elbow, pulling Emily in close so that she could kiss the top of her head. "I love it! It's perfect." She kissed her again. "Just like my wife!" They shared laughter, kisses, and the breakfast that Emily had prepared as they lay in bed together on a lazy Saturday morning.


	28. Home Improvement

Paige and Emily began working at starting a family in earnest. They steeled themselves against the fact that it would probably be a long process.

Their first step was looking for a new place. Their apartment was cozy: Big enough for the two of them and Mona, but not really suited for the addition of babies and all the furniture that comes with them. Besides, they wanted a grown-up place; – a place that they could decorate the way that they wanted, and redecorate whenever they wanted. Emily also wanted a real study so that she could be productive when she worked at home; a place with bookshelves and a proper desk.

Pam and Wayne let them know that they were welcome to stay with them in the house at Rosewood, if only so that they could save money until the baby came. They actually gave that offer some consideration, but, in the end, they realized that it wouldn't work unless they got a second car, which would wipe out any savings that came from being able to live rent-free. Their different work locales and schedules made sharing a car difficult, but, since they lived in the city, it was manageable. Paige's feet and Philadelphia's mass transit system served as their second car, as Paige only rarely needed to take the car to to and from work. Obviously, she wouldn't be able to take a bus to work, much less walk there, were they to move to Rosewood.

They did end up receiving parental help, though. Joanna moved into Nick's house after they were married, and her house sold a few months later. Nick's accountant advised them that they should move quickly to invest the profits from the sale in another property, rather than getting killed with taxes. They found a row house at auction in Philadelphia's Art Museum neighborhood - a real fixer-upper that they bought and rented out to Paige and Emily. It had been abandoned by its previous owner, and it was in very rough shape. It had no yard to speak of, but it wasn't far from a park and a playground, and there was plenty of space for a baby's room, a guest room, and a couple of home offices. Paige was quick to lay claim to the finished basement for her "Bat Cave."

They knew that they would outgrow the house eventually, depending how their family grew, but it was well-suited for them as they started out, and they were grateful to have it, although renting from the parents was only one or two steps up from living with their parents on the grown-up scale.

The house had a great view of the Center City skyline from its two upper floors. There was a community garden nearby, where they could rent a plot (once a plot opened up; there was a considerable wait-list) for a nominal yearly maintenance fee.

Their neighbors were a mix of older couples who had stuck with the neighborhood when it was much less attractive and safe, and young couples like them who were starting out and who wanted to live in the city. Children, the few of them that there were, were mostly young. When children got to be school-age, Paige and Emily deduced, their parents gave up on their dream of living in the city. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and the two of them got lost trying to keep up with all of the names.

* * *

Pam and Wayne were over almost every weekend, driving down on Friday afternoon and staying over through Sunday afternoon. Emily and Pam chose colors and patterns and painted and papered. Paige and Wayne did the heavy repairs. Through his connections in the Reserves, Wayne had a buddy for just about every specialty job – electrical, plumbing, roofing, and flooring. They did as much of the work as they could themselves, though. It was a wonderful excuse for them to spend time together and build family bonds.

Pam and Emily talked at great length about Pam's experiences from when she was expecting. These were all stories that Emily had heard before, but either she hadn't been able to process them when she was younger in the same way that she was able to now that she was on the brink of motherhood herself, or her mother hadn't spoken in such detail before. The stories excited and terrified Emily at the same time.

Emily was really enjoying the time with her parents: Dinners in town, or whatever they could whip up in their makeshift kitchen, lounging in chairs in their tiny backyard after the day's work was finished, hearing stories about the early days of their family. It really was great, but, by the time Sunday rolled around, she was always ready for them to go. It wasn't that she was tired of them. It was just that Emily could only take so much of Paige – her hair thrown messily off of her face or corralled under a snapback, her triceps and biceps flexing out of a tank top or a t-shirt with the sleeves cut of, her perspiration making the shirt cling to her back and her abs, those abs exposed when Paige lifted the hem of her shirt and wiped her forehead with it – and still keep a chaste distance. All of the talk of babies, and the fact that they were almost literally building a house together only made her heart (and her body) ache for Paige that much more.

Paige didn't fail to notice the way that Emily kept ogling her, and she often shot her a cocky, "You want a piece of this?" grin, making Emily roll her eyes. They both knew that she wanted a piece of it, but she wasn't about to submit that easily. Besides, she knew that Paige was getting just as hot and bothered as she was.

One lusty Sunday afternoon, when they had barely been able to make it up the stairs and to their bed (rather than on the bare floor in the living room, or the living room couch that was covered by a dropcloth and sawdust, or the stairs themselves), they heard the doorbell. Emily sank into the bed under Paige in annoyance. Paige covered Emily's mouth and whispered, "Ignore it! They'll go away."

The bell rang again, this time accompanied by a voice, "Emmy? Hello?" The bell rang and rang again.

Paige rolled off of Emily, and Emily groaned. "Jesus, really, Mom?" She quickly retrieved her outermost layer of clothing and tried to look as though she hadn't just been pushed to the brink of oblivion by her ravenous wife. She did her best to smile as she opened the door for her mom.

"Is that doorbell acting up again, Emmy?"

"Oh, I - Paige is in the shower, and I guess that I didn't hear it over the sound of the water." Emily decided to stick with the excuse that she'd come up with rather than the one that her mother offered.

Her mom pushed past her into the house. "Paige didn't bother to get upstairs before she took her clothes off?" she commented without thinking. As soon as the words left her mouth, the realization hit, and she very sheepishly continued, "I think that I left my pho- there it is." She reached out to grab it, looking anywhere but at her daughter. "Okay, Emmy, we love you!" she said as she beat a hasty retreat, bumping into every possible obstacle on her dash to the door. Emily was frozen in place.

Wayne had circled the block, unable to find parking on the narrow street, and Pam had to wait, bouncing from one foot to the other, for him to make it back around. When he did, she ran for the car with her head down and her hands shaking in front of her face. Wayne guessed, "Did you see a mouse?" trying to discern the cause of her obvious distress.

Pam took a moment to gather her senses. "Next time," she said, "You call before we drop in on them!"

Fortunately, they had a week to get over the awkwardness before they saw each other again.

* * *

They held a festive open house once everything was in reasonably presentable shape. Hanna was there to give her stamp of approval, which was no surprise, since so much of the decor was based on her input. Caleb was eager to see the Bat Cave; he and Paige would have stayed down there, in front of the Xbox and massive flat screen, for the duration of the party if they had thought that they could get away with it. Nick and Joanna drove in, and, of course, Pam and Wayne were there. Several of Paige and Emily's new neighbors also dropped in.

It was a warm autumn evening, and, after most of the guests had left, the inner circle and the family went out to sit on the rooftop deck. "This is going to be great for watching the fireworks from the Parkway next year," Pam predicted. Paige asked Wayne what he thought about getting a grill up there. It would be difficult to get a decent-sized one through all the narrow doors and hallways in the old building, but he was sure that they could work up a winch-and-pulley to hoist it up from the backyard. "Where there's a will, there's a way," he assured her.

* * *

Paige and Emily did their internet research on artificial insemination and came up with a list of questions to ask their doctor. They sent some copies of sample disclosure and consent forms to Spencer, for her legal opinion. And Hanna was more than willing to show them the video of her delivery - the extended cut, without all of the sensitive points edited out. Hanna wasn't diffident about it in the least, and gave a blow-by-blow commentary as the "miracle" unfurled. "Dude," Paige told Caleb, "I'm impressed! You didn't freak out at all when you were videoing this?"

"It's all a question of camera angle," Caleb assured her. "I only saw what I needed to see."

Phoenix Rivers was a happy little boy with a healthy appetite and a healthy set of lungs. Hanna took to motherhood as if she were born for it. It was a bit disarming to see her so - grown up would have been an overstatement, but she was certainly maternal.

* * *

"Our main concern," Emily told their insemination consultant, "is biodiversity, for lack of a better word." She and Paige were concerned about the possibility that many of their children's half-siblings would end up growing up nearby them. They were going to be rigorous in their choice of a donor from the profiles, as would everyone else who chooses artificial insemination. It stood to reason that whatever donor they chose would also be chosen by many of the other prospective mothers in the Philadelphia region. Even though it was small, there was a real chance that their children would meet and fall in love with a half-sibling.

"And we didn't find a lot about that in our research," Paige added.

The consultant nodded her head. "Well, there are a couple of strategies available to you. For one, you could ask someone whom you know to be your donor. In that way, you would, more than likely, know who your children's half-siblings were."

Paige and Emily had considered this idea but rejected it. First of all, it would be awkward asking that of their friends, and it would make their relationships with the donor's spouse awkward, as well. Also, given that their children would probably be friends with the donor's children, there would still be the likelihood that their children could end up becoming attracted to a blood relative. And, finally, Paige had seen too many soap operas and Lifetime movies where a sperm donor or surrogate mother becomes attached to the offspring, leading to a custody battle.

"We've considered that," Emily offered.

"What else have you got?" Paige jumped in, giving Emily a puzzled look when Emily grabbed her arm and gave her a glare.

"Well, it's considerably more expensive, but we can offer you exclusive rights to a donor's sperm."

"How does that work?" Emily asked.

"Exactly the way that it sounds. Once you sign an agreement, you would select from donors whose sperm has never been injected." Paige stifled a laugh, earning another glare from her wife. The consultant continued, as if she hadn't heard Paige's outburst, "The donor whom you choose will have his sperm taken off the market."

"And would both my wife and I have access?"

"That depends how you structure the agreement." She gave them a half-smile. "You may want to revise your pre-nup." Paige sat up in her chair, and Emily put a hand on her leg to calm her down. The consultant had probably seen a hundred couples who thought that their love would last forever. She was just being diligent.

"Why would it be so much more expensive?"

"Because we're taking a precious commodity off of the market. Think about it like this: Say you contract with a farmer that he'll only sell his harvests to you. Now, he has enough land to generate hundreds of harvests, but you're only interested in four – or, let's say, even as many as eight. He has to have some compensation for the loss of income from shutting out all of the other customers who would pay money for his harvests."

"So, you're saying that these are donors who get paid more for their exclusive sperm?" She looked over at Emily. "I'm not sure that we would want the kind of donor who's trying to maximize his profit!"

"No," the consultant said, "it has nothing to do with the way that the donor is compensated. We don't pay more for anyone's sperm, primarily for ethical reasons. Also, though, we don't release insemination records to donors. Compensating donors on the basis of whether or not their sperm is exclusive-use would provide a way for them to differentiate themselves from other donors. So, no, the increased fee reflects our costs: The cost of extracting and maintaining samples for a limited market. It costs the same for us to recruit, extract, and retain samples for one recipient as for one hundred. But, in the case of the one hundred, we can spread that cost out a bit more."

Paige shifted in her seat. She didn't like the fact that their family planning was so commercialized. "Listen," the consultant said sympathetically, "I know that it's tough to have to think of these things in terms of dollars and cents. In an ideal world, things would be much simpler. Well, in an ideal world, we would just combine your DNA and _clone_ your child."

"We'd be willing to sign up for that clinical trial!" Paige was finally relaxed enough to joke about it.

"In reality, how likely is it that our children will encounter a biological relative?"

"Well, the odds are low. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine's guidelines recommend 25 births per population of 800,000. We serve the Philadelphia metropolitan area, about 6,300,000 people. Using that ASRM's ratio, we could allow donors to help conceive 196 live births, but we have a self-imposed limit of 100. Even so, in reality, an individual donor rarely as many as 30 births, and, usually, more than one those births is within the same family." The consultant took a breath and let Paige and Emily digest the information.

"That being said, however, the likelihood is always there. When you think about it, the population of mothers who have undergone artificial insemination is limited, and, odds are, they'll run in the same circles. There's a high number of educated, lesbian couples who earn enough to afford the procedure. Does that sound like the kind of circles that you run in?"

Emily let out a deep sigh. "So, what do you tell those couples?"

"I tell them to give it a lot of thought. The possibility definitely exists, and I recommend that people know their serial number of their donor or donors. They need to educate their children, and they and their children need to be up-front about the way that they were conceived, especially as the children approach dating age. As is true of most things when it comes to decisions about sex and relationships, education is the best defense."

Paige and Emily had a lot of thinking to do. They also had many other consultations – financial, psychological, and marital. They thanked the consultant and took the literature that she offered for their consideration.

* * *

"So, what do you think, Paige?"

"Well, that definitely didn't make me feel any less worried about the prospect."

"I know. It didn't relieve my fears, either."

"I think that we just have to take the consultant's advice: Know the donor number, educate our kids, and be up-front."

"Yeah, I've got to think that the odds are low, if there are only 25 births per donor in this region. And we protect our kids by being vigilant."

Paige sighed. "I knew that it wouldn't be easy, but I had no idea that it would be so complicated."

"You're not backing out on me, are you, McCullers?"

"No way, Em. I can't wait to see your cute little baby bump. And your cute little babies. And…"

"And what?" Emily said rolling her eyes, knowing from Paige's playful expression what kind of statement was coming next.

"And imagine how cute these little babies are going to be," she said, fondling Emily's breasts, "when they're super-sized!"

"So what was so funny about sperm from first-time donors?"

Paige started laughing again, annoying Emily by forcing her to wait to hear what was up. Paige widened her eyes, stretching her hands in front of her face dramatically as she said, "Virgin Sperm! It sound like the title of a bad, summer, teenage-exploitation movie: 'The Quest for Virgin Sperm!'"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't quote me on any of the so-called facts in this chapter. It's AU, so it follows my rules! :)
> 
> The ASRM guidelines were taken from a 2011 NY Times article. They may be horribly out of date. Everything else was from my imagination.
> 
> I didn't put a lot of research into this. The bottom line: They shall have their babies!


	29. The Name Game

Paige and Emily's journey to pregnancy had been relatively pain-free. Their OB-GYN confirmed that Emily was fertile, and they kept careful watch on her cycles. Paige and Emily knew going in that it might take several attempts before Emily could conceive, and that there was a risk of multiple births. "Get them all in one shot," Paige joked, adopting the nickname "Octo-Em" briefly, before Emily shut her down.

After about six months, one of the procedures took. Paige and Emily didn't want to say anything to their friends until they were sure that the pregnancy was viable.

But Emily felt the need to call Gloria.

Their parents and rest of their close friends knew that they were trying, but they had decided not to tell Fred and Gloria because of Gloria's illness. They didn't want to get their friends' hopes of seeing their baby up, in case it took a long time for Emily to conceive. For some reason, the timing seemed right to Emily, now that she actually had conceived. Paige didn't argue.

They arranged a Skype session with the Herndons. When the session opened, they were surprised to see Fred and Gloria in their bedroom, Gloria in bed, and Fred on a chair next to her. They were both smiling. It was obvious that they were trying to rally. They looked so very tired.

Emily wasn't prepared to see Gloria like that. She had to hide her face in Paige's shoulder. She was holding onto Paige so tight that it was painful.

"Don't you worry about me," Gloria said in a voice barely above a whisper. "My body may be down, but my spirit and my mind are still strong!"

Paige told them the news. They had planned to spend more time on Skype, to catch up with their friends, but Paige suddenly got the feeling that they shouldn't keep them on-line for too long.

"Well, I'm going to stick around to meet your babies, even if it's just by Skype," Gloria said, with Fred repeating her words so that the microphone could pick them up. "All of them," she added and he repeated again. "You can count on it."

As soon as they shut down the session, Emily collapsed into Paige's arms, and they both burst into tears.

When Emily was able to speak, she asked "How soon is it safe to take a baby on an airplane?"

After several follow-up visits to the fertility clinic and to their OB-GYN, once they had their first ultrasound, about three months after conception, they let their family and the rest of their close friends know.

* * *

"Paige!"

Paige winced a bit at the sound of her wife whining her name from the bedroom. In all of the time that she and Emily had been together, going back to their time at Stanford, Paige had never felt taken for granted by Emily. Eight months into her pregnancy, though, Emily was rather needy, to put it mildly, and more than a little demanding. Paige understood. She had resolved to be there for Emily, whatever she needed, during this pregnancy; no complaints. But it was tiring. She had just settled into her Bat Cave with a cup of tea, ready to decompress, when she heard Emily call her.

Paige bounded up both flights of stairs between the basement and their bedroom, forcing a smile on her face. "Yes, Love?" she said in a pleasant tone.

"I can't sleep!"

"How about I rub your feet?" Paige offered, sitting on the bed and starting to rub without waiting for a reply.

"That would be heavenly," Emily cooed. "Thank you," she remembered to say, a moment later.

"Are my feet swollen?" Emily asked drowsily. Paige just shrugged her shoulders. Emily tilted her head and frowned a little. "Paige, you're so good to me. I know that I've been high-maintenance."

Paige shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she interrupted. "You need a little extra TLC right now. It's only natural."

Emily reached her hand to Paige's shoulder and rubbed it lightly. "You know that I love you, right?"

Paige nodded, not bothering to turn around. "Yeah. Of course."

"Paige?" Paige turned and faced her with a smile. "Would you just lie here with me and hold me for a while?"

Paige sidled up behind her wife on the bed. "Of course," she repeated.

"Here," Emily said, pulling Paige's arm across her stomach. "That way, if the baby kicks, you'll be able to feel it."

Paige felt her phone buzz. Ordinarily, she would have ignored it, but, for some reason, she felt the need to see who it was.

"Oh, my God! Emily!" Paige's eyes started filling with tears. "You've got to see this!"

Fred and Gloria had sent a picture of the two of them. Gloria was standing, holding onto a walker. Fred was standing with his arm around her waist. They were both smiling as if they'd hit the lottery. The subject read, "Is the baby here yet?! We can't STAND the wait!"

Emily started laughing. "Can we call them?" They had been sending the Herndons pictures - Emily's bump, the progress of the baby's room, the obstetrics ward at the hospital - throughout Emily's pregnancy, but they avoided Skyping with them after that last time. It seemed like too much of a burden on Fred and Gloria.

Paige called them, putting her phone on speaker. Fred picked up. Before he went to get Gloria, he spoke softly into the phone. "Thank you for letting us know about the baby. That was the best thing for Gloria. I thought that I was close to losing her back then," he said, choking up, "but ever since we got the news, she's just been getting stronger every day."

* * *

"Do you want to talk names?" Paige yawned.

"Sure," Emily responded. "Boy names or girl names?"

"You know, Em, we could make this a lot easier if we just opened that envelope!" Emily had insisted that they would not find out the baby's gender. The ultrasound tech put the pictures that would give the gender away into a separate envelope with a written note, lest their be any doubt. Paige was strictly forbidden from peeking. Emily didn't trust her to keep a secret.

Emily didn't respond to Paige's comment. Paige sighed, smiling. "We did girls' names last time," she said, a mock-heaviness in her tone. "Timothy?"

"No. 'Tim?' 'Timmy?'" Emily shook her head in disapproval. "Hollis?"

"Like the college in Rosewood?" Paige laughed. "Why not Danby? or Stanford?"

Emily tapped her on the arm. "Your turn. No commentary. Just go!" Paige couldn't see Emily's smile, but it was evident in her tone.

"Roger?"

"Paige, be serious!"

"I want our baby to have a name that people recognize and that they know how to spell. Do you know how rare it was to find 'PAIGE' on those personalized souvenirs in gift shops? Seriously, every field trip, all the other kids in my class came home with their names on keychains, on license plates - on whatever."

Emily twisted her head slightly to look at Paige. "Did we just unearth some childhood trauma?" she teased. "At least you had a name that has character. It stands out. Not like 'Emily.'" She said her name derisively. "And it was never just 'Emily.' I was always 'Emily F,' to distinguish me from the other Emilys in the group. One year, there were even two Emily Fs in my class, and I got to be 'Emily F2!' Or 'E.F.2.' Or just 'F2.'"

"F2?"

"Emily Ferrin was F1." Paige chuckled. "Don't you dare!" Emily shouted, knowing where Paige's mind was going. She wasn't about to go back to being called "F2."

"Okay," Paige laughed, "- quit trying to distract me!" She squeezed her arm lightly around Emily's middle. "Just choose your name!"

When it came to names, they agreed on almost nothing, but they thoroughly enjoyed the process of discussing them. Going through names like this was one of their favorite activities. Soon, they were both relaxed, and Emily was yawning.

Emily interlaced her fingers with Paige's on top of her belly. "Paige?" Paige put her chin on Emily's shoulder, to indicate that she was listening. "Do you, sometimes wish that it were you?"

"That I was the one carrying our baby?" Emily nodded. "No," Paige replied simply and honestly. "I'm enjoying being the partner and the coach. I love that you're having our baby, Em."

"Do you think that you'll want to have a baby at some point?"

"I guess I do more than I did when we started this. More than I thought that I would. I see you, and it's really a miracle, you know?" Emily nodded and shifted to face Paige. "Why? Are you having second thought? Are you going to retire after this one?"

Emily smiled. "No," she assured her. "It's just that - yeah, it's a miracle, as you said, and I want you to be able to experience it, too."

"You want me to experience swollen feet, morning sickness, and the inability to bend over?" Paige teased. "Is this about revenge?"

Emily was fully on her back, now. "No," she smiled. "I want you to know the thrill of feeling an actual human growing inside you."

Paige rubbed her wife's belly. "Mmm." after some thought, she asked, "But wouldn't that be confusing to our kids? Some of them are siblings, some of them are half-siblings?"

"It will be normal to them. They won't know any different. Besides, we don't have to make a big deal about who mothered whom."

"But won't it be obvious just by their complexion that they're different?"

"But that could happen with anyone. You've met my Aunt Carol - she looks like my Irish Grandpa, unlike my Mom, who looks like my Filipino Lola."

Paige shrugged. "Well, anyway, to answer your question, yeah, I think that I would like to carry a child."

Emily smiled widely, stroking her wife's cheek. "You're going to love it. I'm going to love being there with you." She rubbed Paige's belly and kissed it. "I can't wait to put a baby in you!" she said, poking Paige's navel on every syllable.

Paige laughed, grabbing Emily's finger to make the poking stop. "Oh, I wish that you could, Emily! I really do."

Emily shifted back onto her side, taking Paige's arm with her as she settled in to sleep.

* * *

"You know," Paige said, just to wind Emily up, "it would be easier to set up this room if we knew the gender!"

"Why, Paige?" Emily sounded self-righteous. "Because it has to be _pink_ for a girl and _blue_ for a boy?" There was derision in her tone when she said the colors. "Because we have to adhere to gender stereotypes?"

Paige just laughed. "You are too easy to mess with!"

Emily elbowed her with a deep exhale. "You'll do anything to get me to open that envelope! Just relax. You only have a couple more days to wait."

"You _hope_!" Paige teased.

"This baby is coming out of here within the next 14 days, Paige!"

"If only it were that easy!"

Emily sighed in frustration. "Wait till it's your turn. Then, you'll understand!"

"Wow, Fields! Already with the mom-speak! 'Wait till you have kids of your own?'"

"All right, Paige. Can we just get back to getting this crib put together? Please?"

* * *

Emily had begun clearing her schedule, teaching fewer classes and working from home, as her due date approached. This gave her and Paige time to take long walks in the evening. Part of it was the old wives' tale that walking helped coerce the baby to come out. Part of it was that they just enjoyed having time to hang out with each other. If Paige were willing to admit it – to herself or to Emily – part of it was that she wanted to show off her pregnant wife; to let people know that they weren't just a couple, but that they were starting a family.

On one of their walks, they discussed a conversation that they had had with one of the nurses in the OB-GYN office. The nurse asked them about names, and they told her that they hadn't found any that they could agree on, yet. The nurse told them not to worry, and that, when the time came, they'd know. She mentioned the time that her family got a new puppy, and, as soon as they saw it, everyone agreed: "Kahlua!" When Paige and Emily heard the name, they were immediately able to picture what the puppy looked like. They smiled politely at the nurse's tale, but they knew that it wasn't a great strategy for a child. "You can name a dog Kahlua, but you can't really name your kid Placenta," Paige joked as they continued on their walk through the neighborhood.

Emily smiled. She was holding Paige's hand and holding her other hand behind her back to support herself, doing the pregnancy waddle. "What do you think about 'Shannon?'" she offered.

Paige tilted her head. "'Shannon'… I like it! It's not so obscure that no one's heard of it, but it's not overused. 'Shannon' – 'Shan;' sounds a bit like 'Hanna' and 'Han,' but…"

"We could call her 'Shay!'" Emily interjected.

"'Shay?' Why 'Shay?'"

"Well, the 'Sh' is from her name, the long 'A' from your name, and the 'Y' from 'Emily,'" she rationalized.

"Uh huh…" Paige smiled. "So, basically, you like the name 'Shay,' but you thought that 'Shannon' would be an easier sell?"

Emily just smiled coyly and gave a couple of squeezes to Paige's hand.

"Compromise!" Paige laughed. "It's the secret to a good marriage. Love makes the marriage strong, but compromise makes the marriage last."

Emily knocked shoulders with her. "Where'd you get that?"

"I don't know. It _sounds_ like a thing, though, doesn't it?"

"So, you're good with Shannon?"

"Absolutely! And it works for a boy or a girl!" Emily shot her a skeptical look. "What?"

"Well, for your sake, Baby," she said to her abdomen, "let's hope that you're a girl!"

"You know, there's a quick way to figure it out!" Emily raised a finger and scowled at Paige. Paige grabbed the finger and kissed it. "I'm just saying!"

* * *

As they relaxed on the couch, all of the pillows on Emily's side, Emily said, "Well, _if_ it's a girl, how about the middle name 'Luz?'"

"Your mom's middle name? Sure!"

"I mean, I would like to honor your family, too. Like, if it's a boy, we could give him your dad's middle name."

"I don't think that would work."

"Why? What's his middle name?"

"'X.'"

"'X' As in what? Xavier?"

"As in 'X'. As in – I don't know, 'Malcom X.'"

"Your grandparents named him after Malcom X?"

"No. He was just 'Nick McCullers.' So, on some form that he had to fill out in, like, third grade, he had to put his middle initial. He didn't know what to put, so he just put 'X.' Some boy teased him that he didn't know his middle initial; he said that 'X' _was_ his middle initial; boy asked what it stood for; he shoved boy, saying that it was none of boy's business.

"After that, he owned it. Thought that it was cool. When he started in business, he had his name legally changed to 'Nicholas X. McCullers.'"

"Oh, come on, Paige. I'm not _that_ gullible."

"Hand to God, Em. You can call him and ask him!"

"I swear, whenever I think that I have your family figured out… Well, at least we have a girl's name: 'Shannon Luz Fields-McCullers'"

"Eugh!" Paige made a face. "Wouldn't want to do that to my daughter!"

"You're thinking 'McCullers-Fields?'"

"Please. Just 'Fields.'"

"Well, what about _your_ name? It has to be in there somewhere. How about 'Shannon McCullers Fields,' instead of 'Luz?'"

"Really? You know those guys who did that at Stanford - had a last name as their middle name? Didn't you find it a bit pretentious?"

"I don't know. I just think that our kids need to have your name."

"Well, I don't see why."

"Won't your dad be disappointed?"

"I think that he got used to the idea that his name would die out when it looked as though I, a girl, was going to be his only child. If he wants to propagate the name, he'll have to work that out with Jody."

"I just feel bad, though, that our children will only have my name."

"'Fields' is a great name, Em. Trust me. They'll thank you later."

Emily reluctantly went along, although she wasn't really convinced. _Compromise_.

"So, what are our kids going to call us? 'Mom 1' and "Mom 2?'" Paige wondered.

"They'll call you 'Mom' and me 'Nanay.'"

"Tagalog?"

"Exactly. Are you okay with that?"

"I'm fine with it. As long as I get to be called 'Mom.' I was afraid that it'd be 'Mum' or 'Mama' or something." Paige gave her wife a kiss, rubbing her belly. "I love you, _Nanay_!"

"I love you, too, _Mom_!"


	30. Delivery

Paige was strangely calm on the way to the hospital. It helped that Pam was driving. Emily was in the front seat with her, because it was easier for her to get in and out of the front. Paige was in the back, trying her best to concentrate on her wife's labor and not her mother-in-law's driving. _You can go through yellow lights, Pam_ , she thought to herself. _You don't have to wave people ahead. This is Philadelphia, you're never going to see them again. It's not like Rosewood, where you'll have to apologize when you see them in the corner store._

There wasn't any rush to get to the hospital. The mood was light, almost festive – Paige's internal monologue notwithstanding. Emily was calmly giving directions in the front seat. She and Paige had driven to the hospital to take a tour of the Obstetrics unit, so that they would know what to expect. They had also done a practice run, to make sure that they were prepared for everything.

Emily was giving directions because Pam was easily frustrated by the GPS when she was in unfamiliar territory. She would invariably end up yelling at it, "Calm down!" "Wait!" "I can't turn here!" "What do you want me to do?" In ordinary circumstances, Emily found it endearing, if not amusing. On days like this, when time was a factor, it was just best to turn the GPS off.

Wayne was on his way from Rosewood. Pam had been sleeping over in Philadelphia for the past 12 days, anticipating that Emily could go at any time. Surely enough, on an otherwise unremarkable Sunday morning, Emily nudged Paige awake to let her know that things were happening.

Hanna left Phoenix with Caleb and met them at the hospital. She actually ended up beating them there.

The hospital was in New Jersey. Paige and Emily really wanted to be able to say that their children were native Philadelphians, but the OB-GYN whom their doctor recommended practiced in New Jersey, because malpractice insurance for obstetricians in Philadelphia was prohibitively expensive.

* * *

They were in for a long stay. They were lucky to have Hanna to amuse them – and horrify them – with her firsthand tales of the obstetrics ward. Pam kept asking them about the baby's name. "I can't believe that you don't have it settled, yet!"

"We have a couple of options," Paige said, much more patient with Pam than Emily was likely to be. "We'll come up with something before we leave the hospital," she promised, finding that statement much more amusing than Pam did.

"You could have it all settled by now, if you'd just open that damned envelope!" Pam raged, then ran over to Emily to apologize for her language. "I'm sorry, Baby," she said, pressing a kiss into two fingers and placing those fingers on Emily's belly.

"Mom, I'm pretty sure that the baby can't hear you, and wouldn't be able to speak English, anyway."

"Oh, hush," Pam smiled, rubbing Emily's arm and smiling. "Anyway, if you two weren't so stubborn – " Paige threw her hands up as if to say, "Don't blame me!" She had wanted to know. "… you would know what to expect. Hanna, you and Caleb knew what you were having, right?"

"Absolutely! That way, we were able to discuss everything in advance – names, circumcision…"

Paige remained calm. "We've discussed those things. And we've made decisions. Just, 50% of them may end up being unnecessary."

* * *

Day stretched into evening. Emily kept going through the cycle of pushing and waiting, pushing and waiting.

The hospital, wary of cell-phone radiation interfering with the equipment in the room, helpfully provided a phone number to the landline phone in the delivery room that would stay the same no matter what room they ended up occupying throughout their stay in the hospital. That way, Paige and Emily were able to give Wayne a number where he could reach them at any point in their stay. Giving him the number was something that they only did for the first child. They learned from that experience. Wayne kept calling to see whether or not anything had happened, whether or not he had time to go for a sandwich, what Pam had done with his watch - important stuff like that. When the phone started ringing during a period of intense pushing, Paige unplugged it and left it unplugged.

Finally, about 10 hours after Emily had awakened Paige that morning, things started moving in earnest. The baby came out, to everyone's delight, Paige cut the cord, and some tears were shed.

Emily hadn't gotten to seen the baby's sex before the nurses wrapped everything up in a diaper and blanket. Everyone was so moved, telling her that the child was perfect, but no one gave any indication of the gender. They seemed deaf to her increasingly loud cries of "Boy or Girl?" until, finally, their doctor said, "Congratulations. You have a beautiful baby girl."

Hanna had the presence of mind to step out in the hallway and call Wayne, who was almost jumping out of his skin at not being able to reach anyone and not having heard any news. She could only tell him that his granddaughter and his daughter were fine. She hadn't been weighed yet – or named. Hanna leaned her head in and relayed his question: "He wants to know the baby's name!"

Paige looked at Emily and Emily smiled back at her. "Shannon Luz Fields," she announced. A fresh wave of tears came over Pam when she heard the middle name. "You're naming her after me?" she said, giving them a four-way hug. "And here I am yelling at you for not settling on the name in advance…"

The last name wasn't a surprise. Emily had discussed it at length with her parents and Hanna, still not feeling quite right about the fact that their children would only have her last name.

"Yes!" Hanna shrieked into the phone. "'Shannon' is practically 'Hanna!'" Looking at the baby in Emily's arms, she said, "We're going to be buds, you and I!"

Paige gave her a mock-rebuking look. "We're calling her 'Shay,'" she deadpanned, and Hanna pouted.

* * *

As soon as the epidural was removed, Paige ran out to find something for her wife to snack on. She had only been allowed to suck on ice-chips throughout the labor. Paige was only able to find some crackers, which she liberated from what appeared to be a break room. Emily wasn't even aware that the epidural had been removed.

Once everything was cleaned up, Wayne came in, eager to see his first grandchild. "Honey," he said to his wife, "she looks exactly like you!"

Shay was in the 90th percentile for height, which was no surprise, given her parents. Paige and Emily had taken physical characteristics into account when they chose a donor. That wasn't high on their list, but they did want someone who physically resembled Paige. Obviously, they didn't know what the donors looked like, but they looked for someone who, like Paige was relatively tall with brunette hair. Those traits were general enough to apply to Emily, too. After all, the plan was for Paige to use the same donor, and it could just get weird to have a Paige-to-Paige baby.

* * *

The first week was rough. Shay wouldn't eat. The nurses at the hospital very aggressively manipulated Emily's nipple into Shay's mouth, proclaiming that Emily was doing it wrong, and threatening that they would have to feed her intravenously if Emily couldn't get her to take milk.

Once they got her home, Emily cried and cried, unable to understand why Shay only fed for short periods. It didn't help that her hormones were still out of whack, and she kept blaming herself.

They raised the issue on their first visit to the pediatrician, the Monday of the week after Shay was born. He took a look and let them know that there was a sore on the roof of Shay's mouth. He explained that it probably came from the intubation. "She's not a crier," Paige remembered the nurse having said, explaining that they had to put a tube down the baby's throat to get the fluids out. The pediatrician told them to buy a medicine dropper so that, when Shay was hungry, they could use the dropper to feed her with milk from the breast pump. This news was a profound relief.

They stopped at a drug store on the way home and picked up a medicine dropper. Paige told Emily, "We're going to be crying our eyes out over crises like these for the rest of her life. They may seem like small things once they're resolved, but they'll be major when we're going through them."

"My Dad used to say, 'You don't know what fear is until you become a parent.' I never really understood that before!"

"I know, right? I kind of want to call my Dad and apologize for everything that I put him through when I was growing up."

* * *

Paige and Emily had promised themselves that they would show restraint on social media, but that was easier said than done. Their friends kept leaving encouraging comments and asking for more pictures and videos. And Shay just kept being way too cute. Naturally, they hadn't made any promises about what her grandparents would post.

And, of course, there were Fred and Gloria.

Paige and Emily wanted to share as much of Shay's life – and their life with her – as they could with their good friends. Fred e-mailed them to let them know that seeing their pictures and videos really cheered Gloria up, and that she had been having better days. Hearing that, Paige and Emily made it a point to Skype with them once a week or so. The first time, they were surprised at how vocal and lucid Gloria was. She actually seemed to be getting stronger as the weeks went by. It was great to see.

After one particularly upbeat session, Emily asked Paige the very thing that Paige had been thinking. They began making plans to fly out to California.

Shay was three months old when she took her first flight. Paige insisted that they buy tickets for her, although she would have been permitted to fly as a lap-baby. Paige had read case studies on airplane accidents as part of her course work on physical rehab. Although the chance of an accident was extremely low, it wasn't worth the risk.

Paige and Emily were worried about how Shay would handle the flight. They didn't want to be that family whom everybody dreads for flying with a screaming baby. They would have liked to have seated her between them, so that they could both comfort her if she were distressed, but the car seat had to go in the window seat, so that it wasn't blocking the way to the aisle in the event of an emergency.

Shay was fussy while Paige wrestled to get her car seat in place, but she calmed down as soon as they strapped her in. It was as if the seat was her comfort zone; she felt safe within its familiar confines.

The plane hit some turbulence on the way out and dipped for a split second. Emily's stomach jumped, and she latched onto Paige's arm. Shay, in her car seat, cooed, enjoying the sensation of movement, oblivious to any hint of danger.

"It's a good thing that Shay isn't bothered by a little turbulence," Paige observed in a slight dig to her wife's flight-jitters before she kissed her.

"Yeah, and it's a good thing that she's not whining and complaining the whole way," Emily shot back when they parted lips.

* * *

Fred and Gloria insisted on meeting them at the airport, despite the new moms' objections that it would be too much of a strain on Gloria. That was part of the reason that the Herndons wanted to pick them up: to demonstrate that Gloria was doing much better. Her movements were just slightly slower than what Paige and Emily remembered, and she seemed to need more time to gather her thoughts before she spoke, but, had they not been as close to her as they were for close to a decade, they probably would have taken her for a normal, healthy senior citizen.

Fred was always a gentleman, but he seemed more proactive and protective of his wife. It reminded Emily of the way that Paige behaved when Emily was pregnant. She had to laugh to herself at the thought of a pregnant Paige; Emily would, of course, want to be as good and helpful a wife as Paige had been to her, but Paige would insist on doing everything herself. Overcome by the cuteness of it all, she leaned over Shay's car seat and kissed Paige. Paige smiled at her, thinking that the kiss was because Emily was so happy to see Gloria in such better health.

* * *

Gloria couldn't wait to get back to the house so that she could play with Shay. She bounced her on her knee, made faces at her, and talked gibberish to her. It was all very grandmotherly. Shay was enjoying herself, but she got fussy after a bit, so Emily went up to feed her and to put her down for a nap.

Paige caught Fred and Gloria up on the news from Pennsylvania, including her father's wedding, the new house, and her practice. When Emily returned, Fred and Gloria took them to his study to show them something.

"Look what I fished out of the back corner of the garage," Fred said as he lifted up a tablecloth to expose pan elaborate, antiquish dollhouse that came up to Emily's waist. It was obvious why Fred and Gloria were showing it to them.

"Oh, Fred, it's beautiful, but..."

"I know!" he interrupted, "but you don't have room for it in your luggage! Don't worry; we'll ship it out to you."

"We would've shipped it earlier, but we wanted to see the expression on your faces when you saw it for the first time," Gloria explained.

"We're at the age where we need to start cleaning things out," Fred continued.

"Well, it's beautiful," Emily said, "but we could never take something like this! It wouldn't be fair to your children."

"They had plenty of chances to take it long ago," Fred said.

"We checked with them," Gloria added, "because we knew how you would feel about it. Don't worry! We gave all them the good stuff - not old, broken-down rummage-sale pieces like this!"

Paige looked over the dollhouse and then over to Emily, her eyes questioning what was old or broken-down about the dollhouse.

Emily met Paige's gaze and shrugged her shoulders. Turning her face back to Fred and Gloria, she said, "Well, I don't know what to say..."

"Thank you," Paige said.

"Yes, thank you so much," Emily echoed, hugging the two of them.

Fred pointed out some nicks and scratches on the wooden house. "Now this is for playing with, not for looking at," he said. "When Shay gets old enough, you let her have fun with it. Don't worry about trying to keep it nice."

* * *

Over dinner that evening, Gloria shared her experiences with motherhood, and she and Emily compared notes on their pregnancies. It was amazing how much Gloria remembered about each one, but not surprising, Paige concluded. She was enjoying the conversation but feeling a little left out. She could relate to the tales of motherhood, but she didn't know the feeling of carrying or of giving birth. Emily looked over at her as she was pondering these things and squeezed her hands with a concerned look when she saw the contemplation on Paige's face. Paige shook her off with a smile, and Emily rejoined the conversation.

Paige was happy for Emily and not jealous in the least. But, for the first time, she began to consider what it would be like when it was her turn.

"I'm sorry," Emily said, wrapping her arms around Paige's waist and giving her a kiss when they got back to their room, where Shay was already asleep in her Pack-N-Play crib. "Were you feeling left out?"

"A little," Paige admitted, "But I wasn't upset. I was just starting to get a little eager about joining that club."

Emily stroked Paige's sides and rubbed a circle over her stomach. Paige had only vaguely discussed carrying a child in the past. "I can't wait to see that!" she kissed her again. "You're going to look so cute in my maternity hand-me-downs! And you're going to be OCD about your diet and your body temperature and your sleep cycles."

Paige smiled. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not in a hurry. And I don't feel as if I have to keep up with you, baby for baby. It's just on my radar, now. Before, yeah, it was out there, but _way_ out there; out of range."

Emily gave her a long kiss. She continued her musings about Pregnant Paige. "And I want to see you all wobbly," she said, kissing her again, "and unable to bend over!" She tickled Paige's belly. "You're going to be so adorable," she said again.

* * *

Paige loved her early morning runs, with Shay in the jogging stroller and Mona jogging beside them. Their concerns about Mona being jealous proved unfounded. She was actually rather protective and maternal when it came to Shay. They still had some concern how Mona would react as Shay got old enough to interact with Mona, but not old enough to know how to be gentle with the dog They were optimistic about it, though. Mona was always calm and patient with the children when Paige took her along as a therapy dog on her volunteer visits to Children's Hospital.

Paige looked forward to the day when Emily would join them on their morning jogs. For now, Emily enjoyed the solitude at home, where she could relax with a cup of coffee and read, either for research or for pleasure. More often than not, the ride in the stroller lulled Shay to sleep by the time they got home, and that was a good thing. Something about Emily relaxing on the couch with her reading glasses, and something about Paige holding their daughter, evidence in her hair and her body of her recent physical exertion, seemed to stir the couple's passions for each other. On those days, Paige would lay Shay in her crib and switch on the baby monitor on her way to the shower, and Mona would carry her leash into the kitchen nudge it onto its hook on her way to her dog bed and her naugahyde bone. Sometimes, Emily intercepted Paige before she even made it to the shower.

In the evening, weather permitting, the four of them took long walks together, Shay riding in a kangaroo carrier on one of her mothers' chests, Mona walking sentry as far out in front as her leash would allow, and Paige and Emily holding each other's hands or walking arm in arm, smiling over the life that they were building together, and dreaming about the future.


	31. The Overachiever

"Is it weird," Emily asked out of nowhere, "that there are no males in our household? Like, not even the dog?"

Paige chuckled. "What are you suggesting? Do you want to get another dog?"

"No... I was just thinking that it's strange, that's all. I mean, don't you think that it's strange?"

Paige sighed. "Already?"

"What do you mean, 'Already?'"

"I mean," Paige said, gathering Emily into a hug and smoothing her hair out of her face, "that Shay is barely six months, and you're already thinking that she's getting so big, and that you wish that you could have your little baby back. Am I right?"

"Ugh. Whatever, Paige. But, you were the one who told me that we're not getting any younger, remember?"

"I remember," Paige said, playing along.

"And we both know that it can take a while for insemination to take."

"We do," Paige agreed.

"So?" Emily wanted Paige to say it, as if that would make it Paige's idea, as opposed to Emily's whining.

"Are you saying that you want to give it another go?" Paige decided to string it out a little. "Because, the body needs time to recover from a pregnancy, Emily..."

"I know that, Paige!" Emily snapped in reply. "But, fortunately, we have another set of ovaries at our disposal."

"Whoa!" Paige wasn't quite finished playing yet. "You're putting a lot of pressure on me," she said, mock-seriously. "It's up to me and my ovaries to bring a male offspring into the family?"

"Well, knowing what an overachiever you are, you're probably going to have triplets or quads. Just make sure that one of them is a boy." Paige laughed. "Besides, I've been doing some research on how to increase the odds that your baby will be a boy..."

" _My_ baby?" Paige was having fun with this.

" _One's_ baby, okay?"

"So, let me guess - drink raw egg whites while I twirl around on one foot beneath a harvest moon?"

"Paige_," Emily whined, drawing out her name. A little teasing was okay, but she had had enough.

"Okay, okay." Paige was conciliatory. "We can start the process. It would be good to have kids who are close in age."

* * *

The process was extremely rough on Paige. She knew, not only from their research but also from Emily's experience, that she might have to undergo the procedure several times before she conceived. But _she_ was different. She was Paige McCullers. She always did better than the odds.

It became something of a ritual. Hanna and Phoenix would stop by the house to watch Shay on days when Paige had a procedure scheduled. Emily would sit with her and hold her hand throughout, urging her to relax. The more relaxed the recipient, their consultant had told them, the greater the likelihood of a conception. It was like trying to put out a fire by dousing it with gasoline, though: The more that Emily insisted that Paige needed to relax, the more worked up Paige became.

When they passed the six-month milestone, the point at which Emily had conceived, Paige, who still hadn't, became dejected. "What's wrong with me, Emily?" Shay was old enough to be able to recognize that something was troubling her mom, and she hugged her comfortingly, rubbing her arms the way that she always saw Emily do when Paige was upset.

At Paige's eighth procedure, Emily held her hand and told her that this was the one. "You don't know that," Paige protested grumpily. Emily told her to trust her: This would be it.

"How did you know?" Paige asked the following month, when the test came back positive.

Emily kissed her. "I _knew_. I told you that you could trust me!"

* * *

Unlike Emily, Paige was plagued with morning sickness in the early weeks of her pregnancy. The miracle of life was turning out to be more burdensome than she expected. Emily tried to be sympathetic, but, as Paige reminded her, Emily had no firsthand knowledge of what she was going through.

It became a game for Shay, who loved to run into the bathroom, lift the seat and bend over, saying, "Mommy barf! Mommy barf!"

When Paige had her first ultrasound, they learned that she was carrying twins. "You _had_ to outdo me, McCullers, didn't you?" Emily teased.

Their parents and friends were delighted with the news. Paige and Emily were delighted as well, although it meant that they might have to look into getting a new house earlier than they had planned. They had hoped to defer the decision until Shay was old enough to start school. Still, they didn't need to make a move right away. They could get away with some creative juggling of their living space while their three children were young.

Paige was adamant about finding out the children's gender. "My womb, my rules!" Emily just as steadfastly didn't want to know. She doubted that Paige would be able to keep the secret. The fact that she was carrying twins made it easier for Paige. She didn't have to worry about inadvertently giving anything away by saying, "he" or "her." She tended to call them her "pairagraphs," a play on words that was much more amusing to her than it was to anyone else. She was a "Paige" with an "I," containing "Pairagraphs" with an "I." Occasionally, it was "Pair O' Graphs," because there were a pair of them, and "O' " for her Irish heritage. The fact that the joke needed so much explanation spoke to how far from funny it was. Still, it worked with Paige's goofy sense of humor. Emily learned to roll with it.

Paige teased Emily about the increased workload that came from not knowing the twins' gender. They would have to come up with two sets boys' names and two sets of girls' names, to cover all the bases. To Paige's credit, she helped keep the secret by balancing their discussions of names, not favoring boys' names or girls' names.

* * *

There was a certain comfort and familiarity at going through the experience the second time; knowing how things worked in the days leading up to the delivery and what to expect in the delivery room. On the other hand, unlike their experience with Shay, Paige was expecting twins, so it was an entirely new ball game. Also, since this had seemed to be Murphy's pregnancy, Paige steeled herself to the thought that things might not go as smoothly for her as they had for Emily.

Things certainly started differently.

Paige, Emily, and Shay were out for a walk with Mona when Paige's water broke. Her due-date was another three weeks away, but, given the fact that twins usually deliver early, they and their obstetrician were glad that she had been able to carry that close to a full-term.

Emily got Paige over to a bench and called her mother and Hanna. Hanna took Shay and Mona back to Paige and Emily's house, and Pam and Wayne met Paige and Emily at the hospital.

* * *

The birthing suite was different this time, having been set up for the possibility of a Caesarean. Paige and Emily had been warned to expect this, since Paige was carrying twins. Paige's labor was rough, but not as long as Emily's had been. In the end, the twins were delivered naturally, first a boy and then a girl.

Mitchell Patrick Fields took his middle name from Emily's father. Lindsey Nicole Fields, or as she would forever be known, "Lindsey _with an 'E'_ Nicole Fields" got her middle name as an homage to Nick McCullers. They both had that cute little McCullers nose, and Emily swore that, as the newborns took in their new surroundings, she saw that furrowed look of deep contemplation on their faces that Paige always got when she was focused on a task.

* * *

Paige and Emily had upgraded from their car to a Toyota minivan - their Mom-mobile - outfitted with three car seats. They did their best to get their three children on the same sleeping cycle, but that was rarely the case. Mealtime was quite an event, with three children latched onto the two of them. Shay, who had nursed with Paige purely for comfort, not for feeding, when she was younger, now found herself able to feed from both of her mothers. Indeed, any distinction about who fed from whose breasts was rapidly lost in the chaos of trying to manage three children under the age of three.

Emily was still considered a faculty member at Villanova, and she continued to research and publish during her teaching sabbatical. When Paige returned to her practice, she was able to cut her days in the office down to three per week. She did paperwork at home on Fridays, also making herself available for video consultations on that day.

They were both exhausted. And they were up to their elbows in diapers.

"Now I understand why people get nannies," Emily said out of frustration, one particularly rough Saturday morning that followed a very long Friday night. "I would never," she added quickly, cutting off Paige before she could voice her objection.

"Not that there's anything wrong with it," Paige teased, quoting the old line from Seinfeld.

Wayne came down on the weekends to help them reconfigure their space to accommodate their growing family. On one of those weekends, Pam insisted on staying over for the week (and on sleeping on the couch), to give the couple a break. The difference that it made to have her there with them was amazing. It may have seemed like little things: straightening up toys, putting dinner on, distracting one of the children while the moms attended to the other two – but Paige and Emily found themselves much more rested. "So help me God, I'm in love with your mother!" Paige announced as they lay in bed, finally able to look forward to sleeping.

* * *

As much as they wished that they could take the children out to see Fred and Gloria, the trip would have been nearly impossible. With three car seats (which would have had to go in window seats) flying wouldn't work unless they recruited someone to travel with them. And, as much as they loved Fred and Gloria, a cross-country drive with a toddler and two infants was definitely not happening. It was up to Skype to fill in the blanks.

When Fred made the off-hand comment, on one of their sessions, "Maybe we'll have to come out there to see you," Emily gasped, cupping her hands to her face.

Paige was calm. "We would, obviously, love to see you, but would that be wise?" Fred assured them that Gloria's doctor had cleared her to travel.

"And, don't worry," Gloria said, "We're going to get a car and a hotel. We're not going to be a burden on you while we're out there!"

"No, you _have_ to stay with us," Emily said, going over the arrangements in her head. Fred and Gloria could have their bedroom, and she and Paige would sleep on an air mattress in the Shay's room. They would move Mitch and Linds' crib from their room to Shay's as well.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Gloria said, firmly, but not scolding. "You guys have your hands full. We wouldn't dream of putting you out. Now, you let us spend our retirement money on you and our little 'grandkids!'"

* * *

One sunny day, while Paige was at work, Emily took the kids out for a walk, pushing Mitchell and Lindsey in their double stroller and letting Shay walk as much as she was able to. When her little legs got tired, Emily picked her up with one arm, pushing the twins' stroller with the other. _The Mommy Workout_ , she thought. She steered them toward her favorite coffee shop so that, when her arm got tired, she could take a break. One of the employees saw her at the door and ran from behind the counter to open it for her. "Looks as though you've got your hands full!" he said. Emily thanked him and got everyone inside. "And whom have we here?" he asked.

"We have Shay, Mitchell, and Lindsey!" Emily said proudly, setting Shay down to stand on her own two feet for a bit.

"Well, welcome to The Grecian Urn," he said, ducking his head into the stroller and wiggling his fingers to get the twins' attention. "My name is Tommy. I've seen this stroller being pushed around the neighborhood by – your nanny?" he guessed.

"My wife, actually," Emily corrected, trying not to sound perturbed. After a second, she added, "Or my Mom, possibly?" remembering that Pam had taken the twins out for walks when she stayed with them. Without thinking, when she mentioned her mom, she put her hand up at about her shoulder's height, indicating Pam's short stature.

He laughed. "Definitely not your mom. Or, if it was, she's a _very_ well-preserved woman!" Turning his attention to Shay, he said, "You look as though you could use something cold and fruity." He bent down to offer her a juice box, first looking up to Emily to ensure that it was okay. Shay looked up at her, too, before she accepted. "And you look as though you need to get off of your feet," he said to Emily. He pushed the stroller over to a booth and brought over a high chair for Shay. Mitchell and Lindsey stayed in the stroller. "What can I bring you?" he asked.

Emily smiled. That's why she liked coming to these neighborhood shops. The service was always so good.

When Tommy returned with her drink and the muffin for Shay to pick at, he saw that Emily had extracted two bottles from the diaper bag. "Would you like me to bring you a pitcher of hot water that you can dunk those in, to warm them up?"

"Actually, that would be nice," Emily said, after a moment's thought.

Tommy dropped off the pitcher and stooped down a bit, so that he was at Emily's eye level. "Listen," he said, "I apologize about the nanny comment from before. I hope that I didn't offend you."

Emily shook her head. "Perfectly understandable, Tommy! We've actually talked about how, sometimes, it would be really nice to have a nanny!"

* * *

In short order, the rest of their friends joined them in Club Mom. Precisely two years after Spencer and Toby married, they became the parents of Adam Bartholomew Cavanaugh. Hanna christened him"Alphie," short for "Alphabet," because of his monogram. Aria and Ezra never married, but they welcomed Trinity Montgomery Fitz into their family. Phoenix Rivers became a big brother when Hanna gave birth to his younger brother, Chandler.

Pru and Luke were taking it extremely slowly, in no rush to get married or start a family. Pru began to feel left out of all of the talk of marriage, motherhood, mortgages. "I never thought that I'd end up being the old maid of the group," she lamented over the phone to Paige in the wee hours of a late, lonely Friday night/Saturday morning.

Paige, who was still awake because Lindsey wouldn't sleep, offered Pru a different spin. "You're that cool, single aunt who waltzes into town with her arms full of presents and takes the kids out to movies and candy stores and lets them get away with murder," Paige assured her.

"Do you think that I'll ever get married?" Pru asked her.

"Is marriage what you want?"

"I don't know, Paige. Sometimes? Do I?"

"Pru it's… " Paige strained to see the clock on the microwave. "1.30 in the morning. I'm walking around with a very cranky daughter who refuses to sleep. Emily has the other two in bed with her, because that's the only way that she could get them to go down. I've got to get up in – " she sighed at the realization "three and a half hours in order to get a few minutes of yoga in to clear my head before the whole logistical operation starts up again." Paige paused and took a deep breath. She heard Pru groan on the other end of the line. "And I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Got it. So, I'd have to be crazy to want your life."

"Pretty much, yeah!" Paige laughed. "But, when the time is right – when the person is right – there's nothing like it."

Just then, Paige heard Emily stumbling down the hallway. Her hair, which she was now wearing considerably shorter than she did before they became mothers, was hanging down over her face, and her arms were crossed in front of her chest, as if she were trying to hold onto whatever vestiges of sleep were still in her body. She gave Paige a sympathetic look and reached out her arms for Lindsey, who quickly extended her arms and transferred into Emily's. "Go to bed," Emily said sleepily, kissing Paige's forehead.

"Say 'hi' to Pru," Paige replied, holding the phone up in front of Emily. Emily grunted out a tired, "Hi, Pru" and continued back down the hall, bouncing Lindsey to help get her to sleep.

* * *

Spencer insisted that they all make the effort to get to the shore house that summer. Aria and Ezra had remained in Rosewood that summer, Aria not wanting to take Trinity on an international flight at her age, and Ezra not wanting to leave the two of them behind. Everyone had pretty flexible schedules. Spencer's actually turned out to be the sticking point. She was involved in a long-running merger, and the stakes were too high for her to hand it off to another attorney or try to work on it over teleconferences for the week.

It was late August when they made it down to the shore. The house had never been that full. It was boisterous and chaotic and, everyone agreed, perfect.

Early on a Friday morning, Paige, Emily, and their kids were sitting at the edge of the shoreline. Mitchell and Lindsey squealed with delight every time the tide came in and kissed them with its cool, salty spray. Emily was showing Shay how to make sand castles, but Shay was mainly interested in pounding her palm into the water and making it splash. Paige was smiling over her family, contemplating the water. It was water that had brought her and Emily together, she realized. They had jumped into the deep end and fully immersed themselves in life together, gliding through it as naturally and as effortlessly as they had once glided through the pools in which they competed, encouraging and challenging each other, reaching for the prize together.

Paige hoped that their kids would grow up loving the water. It wasn't a question of whether or not they would want swim competitively. She wouldn't push them, although, of course, she and Emily would encourage and coach them, were they so inclined. Paige just wanted them to have an appreciation and affection for the water, the calming effect that it had; the feeling of being engulfed in it; the sensation of flying.

"Go ask Mommy what she's thinking," Emily said, and Shay trundled over to relay the question.

Paige smiled at her wife. "I'm just thinking about you, our family, and the water." Emily walked over and gave Paige a kiss, sitting next to her, leaving the children to play by themselves, still under their mothers' watchful eyes. Emily rested her head on Paige's shoulder. She understood.


	32. Two Sleepy People

Emily lay in bed, not sleeping but not fully awake. She was steeling herself against the day ahead. She and Paige had almost forgotten what it meant _not_ to be tired all the time.

Paige rolled over in her sleep, and her knee nudged Emily's bottom. The contact sent a tingle throughout the region, and it made Emily realize just how much she missed alone-time with her wife. It wasn't just the intimate contact, although that was certainly a large part. It was just being able to relax, to enjoy each other and reconnect – without being so interminably tired.

The twins had just turned one, and Shay was going on three. Paige and Emily knew that things would get better once their children were a little older and more independent. And they enjoyed their children's early stages, of course. They wouldn't trade motherhood for anything in the world.

If only they weren't so tired all the time.

Emily turned over in the bed and put her arm around Paige, deciding to spend the final minutes before she had to get up cuddling with her wife. Paige, in response, wrapped all of her limbs around Emily, her sleeping body as desperate to connect with her wife as her wife was to connect with her.

Emily heard her alarm and reluctantly pulled her body away from Paige's just far enough to reach her phone and stop its beeping. She kissed Paige, and Paige's lips curled into that goofy sleeping grin that they always did when Emily kissed them. Emily smoothed the hair away from Paige's face and kissed her again. "What time is it?" Paige asked, without opening her eyes.

"7," Emily whispered. "Go back to sleep."

* * *

It was a big day. Fred and Gloria were flying out from California for a week. They were determined that they weren't going to be a burden on the young mothers, booking a hotel room and renting a car for their stay. Paige and Emily had talked them down to a compromise: Emily's parents would pick them up at the airport and drop them off at the hotel. Philadelphia was an easy city to get around in without a car, especially because, as senior citizens, Fred and Gloria could ride the buses in for free.

Emily wanted to get to get some work out of the way before the kids and Paige got up, so that she wouldn't be distracted by it during the Herndons' visit. Later, she and Paige were going to give the house a long-overdue deep cleaning and get the kids bathed before their guests arrived.

Shay had been to California to meet Fred and Gloria, although she was too young at the time for her to remember. She and her younger siblings knew the Herndons from their frequent Skype sessions and from the many times that their names came up in their parents' conversations. Shay and Mitchell took easily to meeting new people. Lindsey and Mona had the tendency to be diffident. Both of them would probably hide behind Paige's legs (It was always Paige's, she being the one who could empathize with their social reluctance.), letting Shay and Mitch prove that it was safe before they ventured out.

Lindsey was like Paige, in that she needed to be physically connected to feel safe. When she was fussy, or afraid, or unable to sleep, a gentle rubbing of her arms or her back did a lot more for her than a soothing voice and a calm tone. Shay had learned how to comfort her and calm her, but it was Mitchell whom Lindsey to when she was distressed. They took their first baby-steps hand-in-hand, and walking hand-in-hand turned out to be their pattern for much of their early childhood.

The morning and afternoon flew by, and, soon, Emily got a call from Pam to let her know that they were pulling up in front of her house. Paige opened the door to see Fred and Gloria in front of Wayne and their luggage. She was surprised that they hadn't checked into the hotel first and dropped off their bags. It was no surprise that they wouldn't want to leave their bags in the car. The neighborhood was very safe, but a parked a car with luggage visible inside was an open invitation. Paige helped get the bags inside while Pam parked the car.

Fred and Gloria looked good, albeit tired. They were both in good spirits and looking forward to meeting Mitchell and Lindsey. Fred got on the ground and scratched Mona vigorously behind the ears. Her tail was wagging like crazy. They were instant friends. First Mitchell, then Lindsey climbed into Gloria's lap. They didn't know quite what to make of her. They had never, it seemed, seen someone that old or that rotund. She had the vocal and facial expressions to keep them delighted for hours, and she patiently sat by as they grabbed her lips, trying to figure out how they produced those sounds.

When Pam got back from parking the car, Emily said to Fred and Gloria, "Well, you guys must be hungry! Are you ready for dinner?"

"Yes, we _are_ hungry," Fred said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out an envelope, "but don't worry about that. We and your parents can handle dinner." He held the envelope in front of Emily. It was one of those paper jackets that hotels use to give their guests the key cards for their room. "We got a good deal on Hotwire," Fred explained. "It's supposed to be a very nice hotel."

Emily saw the logo for Sofitel, nodded in approval. "It's a _very_ nice hotel! You guys are going to love it there!"

Fred wiggled the jacket in front of Emily, as if he wanted her to take it and look it over. She opened it and looked at the key cards, looking over at Paige, confused, and then back at Fred, still confused.

"You let us worry about dinner," Gloria interjected. "You two need to pack!" Paige and Emily were still giving each other confused looks, so Gloria pressed on. "You two have the night off. Go, have a nice dinner, and rest up at the hotel. Leave the kids with us and their grandparents."

Shay caught wind of what was going on and leapt into Pam's eager arms, yelling, "Yay!"

Paige and Emily caught on at the same time and spoke at the same time.

"We couldn't possibly…"  
"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we're sure," Gloria laughed. "We came to see these three – these _four_ ," she corrected, remembering Mona, "not the two of you!"

Emily walked over and, bending down, hugged Gloria where she sat with the twins on her lap. "Thank you so much!"

Emily ran upstairs and tossed her make-up bag, some cosmetics, and a brush into an overnight case. She went to the closet and found the sexy little black dress that she had bought as an incentive to lose her baby weight but had never had a chance to wear. She pulled out a few other articles, including some sleepwear, and, soon, she was packed and ready.

While Paige finished getting everything that she needed, Emily took Shay off to the side to have a chat with her. "Now, you're going to be on your best behavior for your Grandpa and Lola, and for Uncle Fred and Aunt Gloria, right?" Shay nodded. She just wanted to get back to playing with her grandmother. "And watch over Mitchell and Lindsey, and make sure that they're okay. You're the oldest, so they look up to you." Again, Shay nodded. The kids had stayed over with Emily's parents on more than one occasion, and Shay, as young as she was, was familiar with the speech. "Okay. You know that your Mommy and I love you, right?" Again, a nod. Emily gave her a hug and a kiss, and Shay went off to play with Pam again.

When Paige came down with their bags, Wayne got up to give them a ride to the hotel, but they declined. It was a nice evening, and they didn't have very much luggage. They were eager to get their one-on-one time started. A nice walk into town was a good way beginning.

* * *

After they dropped their things in Fred and Gloria's room, they continued walking down to Rittenhouse Square. There was an artisan's festival going on, and they took their time going from booth to booth, examining the arts and crafts. They were holding hands, and it felt wonderful. Once in a while, Emily's eyes would light up when she saw something beautiful or clever, and when she ran over to take a closer look, Paige fell in love with her – and her sense of wonder and joy – all over again.

"This is nice," Paige said, as they walked together, Emily holding her hand and her bicep, with her head on Paige's shoulder.

"It's perfect. I love our kids – our family, but…"

"I know," Paige said, turning to give her a kiss. "So, what do you feel like doing tonight?" she asked, smiling in contentment.

Emily leaned her head back. "Oh… so many things! I wish that we had _three_ nights!"

"No, you don't," Paige asserted. "You'd go crazy wondering how the kids are doing!"

"You're probably right," Emily said, squeezing Paige's bicep. This is just what she had wanted when she woke up that morning; just what they needed. They were together, and it was perfect. "What do _you_ feel like doing?" she asked, turning the question back to Paige.

"Actually," Paige replied, stopping where they stood, "I kind of feel like dancing!"

Emily's face lit up. She turned to face her wife, putting both hands on her shoulders. "Yeah?" Paige nodded. "Do you think that you can still keep up with me, McCullers?"

Paige threw her head back and laughed. "As if I ever could!"

They walked back to the hotel to freshen up and change for their evening out. Paige's jaw dropped when she saw Emily in her dress. "All of a sudden, I'm kind of in the mood for just staying in tonight, except I can't wait to show you off in that dress," she said.

Emily wrapped her arms around Paige's waist and pulled her in tight. "And I can't wait for you to take it off me later."

Since they were both dressed up, they went to one of the nicer restaurants on Walnut Street. They allowed themselves some wine, since Shay was no longer nursing, and they had pumped enough milk to last the twins until the wine worked its way out of their system. Shay called her mom to ensure that everything was okay. There was a lot of music in the background, along with cheering and hooting. Pam put Shay on the phone for a perfunctory "Hello," but it was obvious that she was eager to get back to the party. Emily checked that Fred and Gloria were okay before she hung up and gave her attention back to Paige.

"Everybody all right?" Paige asked, when Emily hung up.

"Sounds that way," Emily said, "but we should have told them no frat parties!"

Dinner was leisurely and relaxed. They were enjoying their time together so much that they didn't realize how late it had become. "Are you still up for dancing?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. We're going to get back from our day off more exhausted than we were before, though!"

They decided to go to one of the younger clubs, feeling like getting down and letting loose; really getting physical. Emily felt rejuvenated out on the floor. Paige knew how much she needed it, and it was wonderful to see her feeling young and liberated, without a care in the world.

When the beat slowed down, Paige was happy to be able to hold Emily in her arms and to feel Emily's arms around her. They shared occasional kisses as they swayed back and forth across the dance floor.

"Do you know what you are?" Paige asked, looking into Emily's eyes. Emily lifted her head from Paige's shoulder and smiled, inviting Paige to tell her. "You're a MILF," Paige said, in a low, seductive tone.

Emily laughed in shock at hearing the word. "And I'm married to a MILF," she responded.

* * *

Paige and Emily took a taxi back to the hotel, where they kept the pace slow, as it had been for their last few dances. Paige slowly unzipped Emily's dress, turning her around before she eased it off of her shoulders. She slowly rubbed Emily's shoulders, both of them enjoying the contact and the deep, slow kisses that they shared. "I love you," Paige whispered in Emily's ear, sending a shiver all the way down her spine.

"I love you, too," Emily said, coyly biting her lip. "But you're way overdressed right now!" Emily undid the first three buttons of Paige's shirt and slipped her hands underneath the collar as she began softly kissing Paige's throat. Paige's hands worked their way down to Emily's ass, and she eased Emily's panties down to the floor, eager to feel the soft flesh that lay beneath them. _There it is_ , Emily thought, as the tingle that she had felt that morning made its return, and she moaned her response into Paige's neck. She jumped into Paige's arms, wrapping her legs around Paige's waist, still kissing her neck. Paige took the cue and carried her into the bedroom.

It was late, and they were exhausted, but they didn't stop until early the next morning, when their bodies had completely used up all of their reserves.

* * *

Emily woke up at ten on Saturday, feeling guilty and panicked that she hadn't thought about or checked on the kids since dinner. She nudged Paige a couple of times, wondering whether or not she had heard from home, but she realized how ridiculous was to think that Paige would've stirred. Once Paige was asleep, she was dead to the world.

Emily crawled out of bed and went into the outer room to look for her phone, stopping to turn up the air conditioner on her way. There were no messages or missed calls, to her great relief. She punched in her mother's number and went back to wake Paige. Fortunately, they had the presence of mind to put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign the night before. Now, they needed to get out of there so that the cleaning staff could change the sheets.

Pam assured Emily that everything was okay, and that they should enjoy themselves for the rest of the afternoon. "We've got it under control here," she assured her.

Once again, Emily heard the music and the hooting in the background, and she had to know. "Mom, what's going on over there?"

"We're just having fun with our grandkids, right, guys?" Pam held the phone away from her ear, and Emily heard Shay yell, "Yes!" and the twins echo, "Yesh!" "Okay, Emmy, I've got to go! It's my turn, now!"

Emily heard her mother say, "Here I come!" before the call disconnected.

"Everything okay?" Paige asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

Emily nodded her head. "I _guess_ ," she said. "I still don't know what the hell they're doing, but they seem to be enjoying themselves."

* * *

Emily took Paige to the Grecian Urn, where Tommy greeted her like an old friend. "Hello, Emily! Where are the kids today?" Emily explained that they were with her parents, and Tommy turned his attention to Paige. "And you must be…"

"Paige. The nanny," Paige said with a laugh as she shook his hand. He put a hand on her shoulder and laughed with her, blushing a little.

"This is nice," Emily said as she sipped at her latte and Paige sipped at her chai.

"It _is_ ," Paige agreed. "I feel a little naughty, though, you know what I mean?"

"I know. It feels as if we're playing hooky or something, and we're about to get busted."

"This was so nice of Fred and Gloria and your parents."

"It was great. Just what we needed."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Emily smiled. "Yeah. I miss our little guys."

"Come on," Paige said, standing up and offering Emily a hand getting out of the booth. They thanked Tommy and headed back to the Sofitel to pack up and head for home.

* * *

Paige unlocked the door to the sound of music, which stopped shortly after their return was discovered. Shay ran over to greet them, and they both dropped to their knees to give her a hug. Mitchell and Lindsey followed close behind. When they got to the living room, they saw "Just Dance" paused on the Xbox.

"Have you been doing Xbox the entire time that we were away?"

"Yes, Nay," Shay said, adding proudly, "I showed Grandpa and Lola how to turn it on!" Pam and Wayne avoided Emily's gaze. Shay continued, "Uncle Fred danced too, and Aunt Gloria sit-down danced with Mitch and Linds!"

Paige picked up Shay and kissed her. "That's all right, Little One," she said. "Your Nanay and I danced all night, too." Winking at Emily, she added, "She gets that from you, you know!"

"I bet you _did_ dance all night," Wayne chided. "You two look exhausted! Weren't you supposed to rest?"

Pam gave him a smack on the shoulder. "Oh, hush, Grandpa! They haven't had a night out since who knows when. They can enjoy it however they want."

Wayne put his hands up. "I'm just saying – they look more tired today than they did when they left last night!"

"Well, then they need to go straight up and take a nap!" Gloria said. "Come on, guys. We need to get these children fed. Now, I'm betting that you like pizza," she said, taking Shay from Paige's arms.

Shay responded with a loud, "Yay!" which the twins echoed, although they didn't really know what was going on. Paige and Emily would've objected, but they were both beyond exhausted.

"We haven't had a chance to see you guys since you got here," Emily pointed out.

"You'll see us at dinner," Gloria assured, "and all next week."

"Believe me," Fred added, "You're going to be sick of us by the time we head back to the airport!"

Paige and Emily headed up to their bedroom. They saw twins' Pack-N-Play crib in Shay's room, along with a rolled-up air mattress, and realized that Pam and Wayne had slept there with the kids.

There were fresh linens on their bed, with a laundry basket of towels and linens at the foot of the bed. Pam must have put clean linens on the bed for Fred and Gloria, and then washed the sheets and changed the bed again for Paige and Emily's return. "I hope that we're that kind of parents," Paige observed.

They were too tired to unpack or to change out of their clothes. They just got out of their shoes and lay on top of the blankets, holding each other. Emily sighed, smiling in contentment. That beautiful vision was the last thing that Paige saw before she fell asleep.

* * *

After their pizza lunch (Pam had packed baby food for the kids.), they walked on a block or so for some ice cream and water ice. Next stop was the park, where the twins ran through the open sprinkler and Shay improvised gymnastics on the playground equipment. The adults sat and caught their breath. Eventually, Pam was recruited to push Shay on the swings. There were baby swings, too, and Fred and Wayne strapped Mitchell and Lindsey in and pushed them.

When they got back to the house at around dinner time, they were surprised to see that all of the lights were out. Fred and Gloria insisted that they let Paige and Emily sleep for as long as they were able to. They asked Wayne to give them a ride to their hotel. "They're going to be so upset that they didn't get to see you today," Pam protested.

"Just tell them that it was a long day for me," Gloria said. "We'll make up for it tomorrow." Although Gloria really did want Paige and Emily to enjoy their time to rest, she was telling the truth. These days, she was feeling better than she had in a couple of years, but, even so, she got tired a lot earlier than she did when she was younger.

Pam and Wayne fed the children, and, when it got to be bedtime, they got them washed, changed, and into bed, amazed that their mothers hadn't stirred in all of that time.

* * *

It was just around 11:30 when Emily sat up in bed, thoroughly confused about what time it was and why she and Paige were alone in their bedroom. She got up and walked to Shay's room and, through the dim illumination of the night light, saw Pam and Wayne on either end of the air mattress, their feet dangling off the short side of it so that there was enough room in the middle for the three children to sleep between them. Shay was wrapped tight around Wayne, who was holding her securely in place with one arm. Mitchell and Lindsey were on their sides, facing each other, their arms wrapped around each other, with their feet against Shay's back and legs and their heads on Pam's stomach. Emily couldn't stand the cuteness. She tiptoed back to her bedroom and retrieved her phone, posting the picture with the title, "When Grandparents Visit." She wanted to be sure that she could capture the image before anybody moved. Only after she got it did she go back to get Paige, knowing that she would want to see the sleeping arrangements for herself. Paige stood in the doorway holding Emily incredibly close as her eyes lingered over the scene, moved almost to the point of tears. After a few minutes like that, Emily kissed Paige's cheek and led her by the hand downstairs into the kitchen, where she made them grilled cheese sandwiches.


	33. Uncle Nick

On Monday morning, Paige and Emily packed up the children and headed to the Sofitel to meet Fred and Gloria.

From the hotel, they all walked to Rittenhouse Square, where Paige and Shay blew bubbles and chased each other around the statues. Emily pushed the twins' stroller forward and back to rock them to sleep, as she and the Herndons sat chatting on a bench. Shay saw a young lady, college age, Paige thought, twirling a hula hoop, with a half dozen other hoops at her feet. She went over to take a look, and the lady handed her a hoop and gave her lessons. Shay got the gyrations right – the gift of Emily's genes – but the hoop was just too big for her to work with. She stood by mesmerized, watching the young lady twirl several at a time, some around her waist and some around her arms, subconsciously mimicking the moves. Emily and the Herndons came over after a bit, Emily taking the sleeping Lindsey into her lap and Gloria taking Mitchell, as they transitioned from the bench to the lawn.

When Shay grew restless, she dug into the travel bag at the back of the twins' stroller and pulled out a beach ball. Paige inflated the ball and took Mitchell off Gloria's hands so that she and Fred could toss the ball around with Shay. They were all thoroughly enjoying the morning.

As afternoon approached, they walked across the street to Barnes and Noble. The café was always crowded because they offered free wifi, but, after a short wait, they were able to find two tables that they could push together and sit around, relaxing for a bit with some beverages and snacks.

The adults were talking and laughing when, out of the blue, Shay got up and walked over to Gloria. "Auntie Gloria," she asked sweetly, "Would you take me to the kids' section to look at books, please?"

Gloria leaned her head in to Shay's, not bothering to ask her moms' permission, and said, "Well, of course I would, sweetheart!" She took Shay by the hand, and off they went.

Paige and Emily looked at each other in shock. Shay wasn't shy, but she wasn't usually that forward with people whom she didn't know very well. Shay, they reasoned, must have grown really comfortable with Fred and Gloria when the two of them and Emily's parents gave Paige and Emily Friday night and most of Saturday off.

Fred, seeing their confusion, filled them in. After Shay had "Just Danced" Gloria to the point of exhaustion on Saturday morning, Gloria asked, "Isn't there anything else that you do for fun?" Shay told her that she liked reading, and led Gloria up to her room to show her her library. She sat on Gloria's lap while Gloria read to her tirelessly, often reading the same book over and over at Shay's request.

Emily snuck over to the kids' section, and, sure enough, there was Shay in Gloria's lap, intensely focused on whatever book they were reading. Emily snapped a couple of pictures, careful not to be spotted for fear that she would ruin the moment. She posted the pictures that came out to facebook for Fred and Gloria's family to see. They would be happy to know that Gloria had made the trip and was doing well.

By the time they left the bookstore, Shay had a few more volumes to add to her library.

* * *

On Tuesday, they drove out to see Nick and Joanna. The minivan could easily have accommodated seven passengers, but it was a little cramped with the twins' car seats and Shay's booster seat. Emily insisted that Gloria ride up front with Paige, worried how well her body would fare if she had to sit cramped in the back. The trip did tire her out, and she excused herself to lie down for a little over an hour once they arrived. After the nap, she was back to her normal self, and Joanna was happy to allow her to help in the kitchen and give her some kitchen tips.

After a nice dinner and a chance for Fred and Gloria to get to know Joanna, they loaded up and headed back to Philadelphia. Gloria slept through the entire trip. Actually, Paige was the only one who was awake the whole time.

* * *

The next morning, Emily picked up Fred and Gloria and their luggage at the hotel, swinging by the house so that they could say good-bye and take some pictures before she dropped them off at the airport. She took the kids along with them to the airport, because Paige had to head into work.

Fred and Gloria had booked an extended layover in Chicago into their travel plans, taking advantage of the three hours that they were gaining going from east to west, so that they could meet their son and his family for lunch. They phoned Paige and Emily to let them know that they were okay, and their son got on the line to offer his thanks to them for their role in rejuvenating his mother.

* * *

The next two years were full of changes. Paige and Emily decided that they weren't quite ready to move out of Philadelphia yet, so Emily moved her office down to the Bat Cave in the basement with Paige, and they redid her former office on the third floor as Mitchell's room. Lindsey stayed in Shay's bedroom. It was a rough transition. Mitchell and Lindsey had been sharing a crib in Shay's room, and that was the way that they liked it. They fell asleep arm in arm. Even on those nights when one of them couldn't get to sleep, and Paige or Emily had to take that twin aside to be held and rocked to sleep, after the twin was put back into the crib, the two of them ended up finding their way to each other in their sleep and waking up arm in arm.

When they told Mitchell, "We're setting up a brand new bed for you in Nanay's old office," he got excited, until he found out that the "you" was singular, and that Lindsey wasn't moving with him. He was inconsolable, as was Lindsey, whose first inclination was to cry simply because Mitchell was crying.

For the first month, they heard Mitchell climb down the stairs every night, and one of them had to intercept him before he could get into the girls' room. Lindsey was usually sleeping in their bed, unable to sleep without Mitchell with her, so she and Lindsey ended up together anyway, just in their parents' bed instead of their own. Once the two of them were asleep, their moms would take them back to their own beds, careful not to wake them. They were both zombies in the morning. Even if they slept through the rest of the night, their sleep without the other twin was fitful and restless.

Finally, Paige and Emily decided that they had to break the cycle. They realized that they couldn't just stay with the twins until they fell asleep, but that they would actually have to spend the entire night with them until they learned to stay asleep all night without each other. They took turns, Emily spending the night in Mitchell's bed with him and Paige spending the night in Lindsey's bed with her, or vice versa, until the two were weaned off of each other. It was something that had to be done, but the moms still felt a touch of guilt and regret at having weakened, somewhat, the strong bond between the twins.

* * *

Pru and Luke moved in together, to Paige's total shock. Naturally, Pru had kept her abreast of the progress in their relationship, and she knew that they were getting serious, but, purely on the basis of what she knew from having dated Luke's brother, Sean, way back in high school, she never guessed that Luke (and his family) would go along with cohabitation outside of the bonds of holy matrimony. Pru seemed happy, but she wasn't sure that it was _right_ , or permanent. Paige trod softly whenever they discussed Pru's relationship. It sounded like Paige's own relationship with Sean: Safe and appropriate; the "right" guy to date. She didn't want to prejudice Pru – or, worse, to earn Pru's resentment by insinuating that that it was the same old story. Besides, Pru certainly knew all of those things about Paige and Sean's relationship. She had been there in a front-row seat when it all unraveled. Paige just tried to be sensitive. If Pru ever gave any indication that she wanted a wake-up call, Paige would be there deliver it. Other than that, though, she resolved just to be happy for them.

* * *

But, far and away, the biggest blockbuster was that Nick and Joanna were expecting. Paige was thrilled on the one hand and weirded out on the other. Emily was just amused. "I just keep picturing your dad singing, 'I'm not your daddy, I'm your grandpa!' to the kids!" she said.

Nick was 61, but he was a well-preserved 61. Paige didn't doubt that he would be around for her step-sibling's childhood and early adulthood. His family had a history of longevity. Her own grandparents were the exception, having died in a car accident when she was younger, but it wasn't as though it was the result of poor health. And Nick was always athletic and active. Joanna kept him young.

"He's going to be one of those cool dads who lets this kid get away with everything, because he's going to feel more like a grandfather than a father," Paige commented, and Emily's eyes widened. "DON'T sing that song again," Paige warned.

Emily got serious. "Paige, are you going to be okay with this? I mean, seeing your dad really involved with his new child, and watching that child grow up with both parents?"

Paige gave it some thought. She had thought about it on her own, but she didn't want Emily to think that she was giving her a snap answer. "Yes, I think that I will. I _want_ him to have that kind of life."

"Well, I know that," Emily said, "but still – it's got to be hard to see him get the kind of dad that you never got to have?"

Paige smiled. "I don't have any regrets about my Dad, Em. He was always there for me. _Always_. It was hard for him, and he didn't know what to do sometimes, but he always stood by me. He got a lot of things wrong, and that was rough when I was a child, but I never had to wonder whether or not he cared for me. So, yeah, this kid is going to get a different Nick McCullers. I just hope that he's at least half as great as the Nick McCullers that I got."

Emily hugged Paige, her smile extra wide. "You should tell him that, Paige. Seriously. I mean, he might not say anything to you, but I'm sure that he's worrying about how you'll react to his becoming a father again. Even it's just a card or e-mail, you should let him know how you feel." Paige nodded and kissed Emily, grateful for a wife who not only cared about her but also cared about her relationship with her family. Paige wouldn't have thought to say those things to her father on her own, and she was grateful to Emily for the suggestion.

Paige went down to her Bat Cave to compose a letter to her father. She typed it into her laptop, so that she could get the words just right, and, when she finally got it so that it said exactly what she wanted it to say, she wrote it out on stationery and put it into an envelope to send to her dad.

_Dad,_

_I'll never forget the time that we spent at the lake house the summer after my sophomore year at Stanford. You took me out to dinner and gave me Grandma's ring. (I don't think that you noticed, but we got a couple of looks from other folks in the restaurant who probably thought that you were proposing to someone young enough to be your daughter!)_

_It meant a lot to me that you accepted my relationship with Emily without question and that you wanted us to have your mother's ring. It was what you did next, though, that really epitomized the kind of father you were – and are – to me. Do you remember?_

_You told me that you would get in touch with my mother, if I wanted to rebuild my relationship with her before the wedding. And, Dad, I know unfairly she treated you and how much she hurt you and our family. But I wasn't surprised that you would offer to contact her, because that's the kind of dad that you have always been._

_Dad, there was never a time that I can remember when you didn't put me first. Nobody's perfect, and there are some things that we both could have done differently, but I never once doubted that you loved me. I know that you made a lot of sacrifices for me, and I know that you made many sacrifices that I was never even aware of._

_And, now, I hear that you and Joanna are expecting, and I couldn't be happier for the two of you, and for that lucky child. He (or she) is going to have the best, most loving Dad in the whole world, and I can say that from experience._

_Dad, I love you so much, I and just want to say thank you for being a dad to me every day of my life._

_Love,  
Paige_

* * *

Paige and Emily were sitting on the couch next to each other, but not really _with_ each other. Emily had gone back to teaching, and she was grading some of her undergrads' papers. Paige was looking over some new regulations to see what impact they would have on her practice. Mitchell and Lindsey, now three, were at work building and demolishing the same tower of blocks over and over. Shay was writing and rewriting her name in cursive. Even though most of the children in her class were still working on their printing, Shay was determined to perfect her signature.

Shay took off her glasses to observe the kids for a while. She nudged Paige, gesturing with her chin towards the twins. Paige looked up at them and gave Emily an "Oh, how cute" smile. "Do you see it, though?" Emily whispered.

"See what?"

"Mitchell and Lindsey." Paige looked over at them and then shook her head at Emily. "They've both got that 'Paige' look – the one that you get when you're in deep thought."

"Like this?" Paige asked, trying to scrunch her face up the way that the twins' faces were scrunched.

"Sort of," Emily said, "But you're not really doing it. It's more like this." She did her best impression of the Paige look. "Actually, Shay's got it, too! You're turning all three of them into little Paiges, Paige!"

Shay looked up at the mention of her name, but, once she picked up that it was just mommy stuff, she went back to work.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Next, you're going to tell me that the dog is doing it, too! Besides, you love me! Would it be so bad to have three little me-s running around?"

Emily leaned over and kissed her. "I wouldn't mind having a house full of little you-s," she asserted. "But would it be too much to ask for at least one of them to have a little bit of _me_ in them?"

"Well, Shay definitely has your dimples," Paige said, kissing the dimple on Emily's right cheek, "and your beautiful smile," she added, kissing her lips. "And you know that they didn't get their dancing skills from me!" Emily smiled, putting her hand on Paige's chest. "Right, kids?" Paige said, raising her voice to get the kids' attention. "Do you guys want to take a dance break?" And, as always happened when those words were uttered, the five of them dropped what they were doing, got onto their feet, and went into their individual, improvised dances to whatever music was playing in their heads. Shay went over to Paige, holding up her arms, and Paige took her hands and swung her around in a circle. Mitchell and Lindsey wanted their turns, next. Paige picked up one in each arm and twisted down to the ground and up again while they threw their arms in the air and gurgled with delight. Shay was dancing with Emily, mimicking her moves and adding a few of her own.

As always, the adults tired of the dancing before the kids did, and Paige and Emily sank down onto the couch, kissing each other (Even after all their years together, whenever they danced, they somehow ended up kissing.) Lindsey looked over to get their attention so that she could show off a new dance step, but when she saw what her mothers were doing, she yelled out, "Ew! Gross!" Shay and Mitchell looked to see what had generated that eraction and, similarly, voiced their objections.

"How come it's not gross when I kiss _you_ or when _you_ kiss Nay or Mitchell, but it's gross when _I_ kiss Nay?" Paige asked, laughing. The kids never had an answer for that question. They just knew that it was gross.

"All right, guys," Emily called out. "It's time to get cleaned up and get ready for bed! You know what tomorrow is! Whom are we going to see?"

"Grandpa Nick and Grandma Jody," Shay called out, excited, and the twins echoed.

"Whom else?"

"Auntie Pru and Uncle Luke," they chorused.

"And Little Nick," Lindsey added. She always remembered Nick McCullers, Jr., since they were both named after Paige's father.

"How come he's our uncle but he's not old, like our other uncles?" Shay asked.

Emily laughed. "It's your family," she told Paige, "You explain it!"

Paige and Emily had grown up as only children, so their children had no real aunts and uncles. They called their moms' friends "Aunt," and their friends' husbands "Uncle." When Paige's father and stepmother had Nick, Jr., he became their first real uncle, even though he was younger than all of them. It was a somewhat confusing to their little minds.

* * *

On Friday morning, they packed up and set out for the lake house. Villanova's Spring Break started with the end of classes on Friday, and, because Emily didn't have any Friday classes, they were able to get away early. Paige had invited Pru and Luke along, since she rarely got to spend any time with her oldest friend.

Nick thoroughly enjoyed fatherhood. Little Nick was 6 months old, and he looked a lot more like his mother than his father. He _did_ appear to have what Emily had been calling "the Paige Look" of intense concentration. She realized that she would have to start calling it "the McCullers Look."

Emily wasn't surprised to see Nick down on all fours playing with his son. She had been surprised when she first saw him do it with Shay, and, later, with the twins, but, by now, she was used to it. Paige was right: He was a good dad. Emily had little firsthand knowledge of his skills as a father, but his love for his children was obvious.

Nick put his arm around Paige and took her off to the side, away from the rest of the family. He wanted to thank her for the letter that she sent him. He had been worried that Paige would feel slighted in comparison with his relationship to Little Nick, and he worried that she doubted his love for her. "You'll always be my number one, Paige."

Paige punched him in the shoulder. "Back at ya, _Grandpa_!"

* * *

Once the kids were all in bed and Paige and Emily lying alone in their bed, Paige confessed her real concern to Emily. "Do you see how great he is with all of our kids?" Emily smiled and nodded. "I feel so bad for him. I know that he would have loved to have had a lot of children. He would've been a great dad to a big family."

"You were seven when your mom left?"

"Yeah."

"So, you think that they could've had more kids but your mom wasn't on board?"

"I never heard them talk about it. But, you remember when I met my mom. She said that she left because she felt 'trapped.'" Paige scoffed at the word. "So, yeah. I'm guessing that she wasn't too keen about having more kids to tie her down."

"I'm sorry, Paige."

"But, it wasn't just my Mom. When she left us, my Dad could've remarried if he had ever thought about himself – instead of putting me first all the time."

"Oh, Paige, you can't blame yourself for that!"

"Maybe I shouldn't, but I can. I _do_. I mean, mostly, I blame my mom, but part of me still blames myself."

Emily smoothed her hand over Paige's hair. "I know that it's hard not to want to take the blame, but you didn't ask him."

"I know. Thanks." They lay silent for a while, but Paige was still thinking it over. After a few minutes, she spoke up. "You understand how he felt, right? I mean, I'd do _anything_ for our kids – even if they didn't ask. I'd do whatever I could to keep from hurting them."

Emily nodded. After a moment, she rolled over to face Paige. "Paige, if I die, I want you to get married again."

"Emily…" Paige whined, turning her head away.

"No, Paige. I'm serious. You don't do alone so well. I don't want you to be alone." She nodded her head when she finished getting those words out.

"Emily, can we please not? Just... don't die, okay?" Emily wanted to persist, but she could see that she was stressing out her wife. Paige was already emotional about her father, so Emily let it drop. "Besides," Paige whimpered, "I won't _be_ alone. I'll have the kids." She was blinking to keep her tears at bay.

Emily had more to say on the subject, but it wasn't the right time. She pulled Paige's arm around her and kissed her. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised, and Paige nodded into her shoulder.


	34. On the Waterfront

Paige was sitting out on the wooden planks of the dock, huddled for warmth against the early morning chill with Pru. Pru had her arms wrapped around Paige's bicep and her head on Paige's shoulder. Their feet were dangling off the dock's edge, but it was early spring, and the water level in the lake was low enough that their feet were comfortably dry. Mona had her head in Paige's lap, and Paige was absent-mindedly petting her.

Pru sighed. "I wish that I had _your_ relationship."

Paige bobbed her shoulder to nudge Pru's head. "You switching teams on me, Prudence?" Paige could feel her friend's eyes roll without looking down at her. "Pru," Paige said in a more serious vein, "other people's relationships may look perfect to an outside observer, but, trust me, we have bumps and hurdles just like everyone else. It's only natural, when two people get together. The thing is, if you love each other, you work it out."

"Do you guys fight?"

"Of course we do, Pru! Everyone does! We're not perfect."

Pru lifted her head from Paige's shoulder to look her in the eye. "That's the thing. Luke and I _never_ fight. Sometimes, I say or do things just to try to provoke him, and he always laughs everything off."

Paige remembered the early days of rooming with Emily at Stanford, when Emily talked about all of her fights with Maya, and Paige wished that she could be in a relationship where they was enough passion for them to fight. "Must be an Ackard thing," she said more to herself than to Pru.

"Right? I remember when you told me that you wished that you and Sean fought, back in freshman year. I thought that you were crazy."

Paige started to feel guilty. She turned to look at Pru, putting her hands on Pru's shoulders and turning her so that they were facing each other. Mona, displaced from Paige's lap, stood up and shook her entire body off. She really wanted to jump into the waters below them, but Paige, because the water was still chilly, hadn't given her permission. Instead, Mona just walked in a sad circle before she lay down on the cold wood of the dock.

"Pru, are you sure that you're not just upset about this because _I_ used to complain about it? I mean, being with someone whom you connect so well with has to be a good thing, right?"

Pru shook her head, her eyes closed. "No, Paige. Trust me. It's just been so long since you were in that kind of relationship that you don't remember how empty it feels. That's part of the reason that I wanted to move in with Luke. I figured, living with someone full-time, those emotions would _have_ to come out sooner or later."

"Yeah, I still can't believe that one. That's not the Ackard family that I remember."

"No, it's not like that," Pru explained, shaking her head. "When we started getting serious – well, when he started thinking about marriage, I told him that there was no way that I could commit to spend my life with someone whom I'd never even lived with. So, we agreed to move in together, no sex. He and his family are cool with living together, as long as it doesn't involve sex."

Paige did a double-take. "And _you're_ okay with that?"

Pru tilted her head. "Paige, it's not as though I was getting any, anyway. I mean, not even _before_ Luke."

"So, you guys have, like, separate bedrooms? Separate beds?"

"No, we sleep in the same bed," Pru said matter-of-factly. "And, no, Paige. The fact that we sleep together without _sleeping_ together doesn't mean that I'm trying to mimic your relationship. You and Emily only did that before you started going out. As soon as you were official, you couldn't wait to get into her pants." That's not how Paige remembered it, but she let it go. She got the point that Pru was making. "Oh, God," Pru exclaimed. "I wish that I really _were_ following your life. Then some hot lesbian would come along and save me!" Pru let out a deep sigh. "Why did it have to be Sean who had a little brother? Why couldn't it have been Emily with a little sister?"

Paige hugged Pru from the side, pulling her head back onto her shoulder and kissing the top of it. "Just – don't stick around waiting for things to change, Pru. It's not good for you, and it'll only hurt Luke more when it all blows up. Does he even know how you're feeling?"

"Not in so many words," Pru admitted. Paige rubbed Pru's arm and they sat in silence, looking out on the lake. Soon, Mona perked her head up and stood, turning toward the footsteps that were approaching them. Pru and Paige looked behind them to see Luke walking down the pier, a cup of coffee in each hand.

"I would've brought you one," he told Paige, "but Emily said that you don't drink coffee."

Paige stood and wiped the dirt off of her bottom. She put her hand on Luke's shoulder and said, "That's all right. I was about to head in, anyway." She gave Pru a sympathetic smile, and she and Mona gave the two of them their privacy.

* * *

Paige wasn't the least bit surprised to see Emily sitting at the kitchen counter with a hot mug of coffee in front of her and a hot cup of tea for Paige next to her. Little Nick was asleep in her lap. "You sent Luke out?" Paige guessed, and Emily smiled in affirmation. "Are the kids still asleep?"

"Mitchell and Lindsey are." Emily hated lumping them together as "the twins." She felt that it blurred their individuality, so she almost always used both of their names. "Shay went on a bagel run with your dad and Jody." Paige smiled and shook her head. "She really _is_ Grandpop's girl, isn't she?" Emily said, giving voice to Paige's thoughts.

As they sat at the counter and sipped their drinks, Emily ran her fingers over the short, silky curls on top of Little Nick's head. "This is too weird, isn't it? Sitting here with my brother-in-law asleep in my lap?"

Paige laughed. "You want weird? We should have the kids call him 'Uncle Nick!'"

The front door burst open and Shay came in, holding onto Nick and Jody's hands as she walked between them with a huge smile. Nick had a big bag of bagels in his other arm.

Shay had gone through a possessive period when the twins were born, wanting more and more of her mothers' attention. She adjusted to the new reality in short order, and she was always the doting big sister to Mitchell and Lindsey, but it seemed to Paige and Emily that she was, going through that same pattern of possessiveness with Nick and Joanna, now that Little Nick was in the mix.

Everyone gathered around the huge, rustic, wooden table in the dining room. Shay went to wake the twins, and Luke helped Joanna get plates, glasses, and beverages on the table. As they ate, Paige kept an eye on Pru and Luke's interactions, trying her best to be subtle. Luke was constantly looking at Pru with puppy-like affection. Pru seemed oblivious. Paige wondered whether or not she realized how intense Luke's feelings for her were, or what message she had sent by agreeing to move in with him. Emily rubbed Paige's forearm. She always seemed to know what Paige was thinking. Paige knew that Pru and Luke would have to live their own lives and work things out for themselves. She smiled at Emily. She just wished that every couple could be as happy as she and Emily were.

When everyone finished breakfast, Paige and Emily cleaned up the kitchen. This had become their thing. They weren't sure how. They always had fun cleaning up after meals; - especially after a meal like this, when they were surrounded by family.

Joanna took Little Nick to their bedroom to nurse, and Big Nick disappeared with the grandkids. In the kitchen, Paige and Emily gradually moved to the playful stage of their clean-up ritual, where they chased after one another with wet sponges and towels. They were about to enter the romantic phase when Paige's eyes got as wide as grapefruits. Emily turned to see what it was that had spurred that reaction. Nick was walking into the kitchen with Shay on his back and Mitchell and Lindsey each holding onto one of his legs. "DAD! Put them down! You're going to give yourself a heart attack!"

Paige sidestepped around Emily and was about to run to pull her children off of her father, but Emily put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. "Let him enjoy his grandkids," she urged.

Paige looked back at her father. He was smiling with as much pride as he had at Paige's graduation. The children were laughing and shouting, "Mommy, look! Nanay, look!"

Paige shook her head, smiling. "You three need to take it easy on your Grandpa. He's not as young as he likes to pretend he is!"

"Oh, hush!" Nick chided. "Kids, is your Grandpop old?" he asked, drawing out the last word melodramatically.

"No!" they chorused, predictably.

* * *

Over the course of the week, Pru and Luke took some long walks in the woods, and they had a real chance to talk. It was stuff that was hard for Pru to say, and a lot of it was hard – and surprising – for Luke to hear. They ended up leaving the lake house early, together, and on good terms. They decided to cool things down a bit. They were still together, still sharing an apartment, but, now, sleeping in separate rooms. It wasn't a break-up or even a break. It was just slowing the pace a little.

Paige gave Pru a call on Thursday to make sure that she was all right. She was more than all right. Their long walks and talks had shown her that she really did have feelings for Luke; that it was more than just the safety and comfort of being with someone who was head over heels in love with her. She didn't know whether or not those feelings would ever lead her to love him, and she was upfront about that. She also told him that she needed passion – not sexual passion, but deep-seated emotions. She wanted a relationship where she could feel safe even when they were screaming at each other, not one where she felt safe only because they never fought. Luke wasn't sure that he understood, but he believed in love. He was confident that, if they were meant to be, they would grow closer to each other and retake the ground that they had backed away from. If they weren't meant to be, that would become apparent, too. They both promised to be open with each other, however they felt.

* * *

At lunchtime, Joanna took Paige for a ride into town. She wanted some time alone with her stepdaughter. Joanna knew that Paige didn't have a problem with her being married to Nick. She was convinced of that before their wedding, and Paige had been very supportive ever since. Joanna felt free to call Paige on those occasions when she was having difficulty relating to Nick or knowing how to make sense of his unique style of communication.

And, over the course of the week at the lake, Joanna had seen that Paige didn't have an issue with Little Nick. In fact, Paige was quite invested in her stepbrother, wanting things to be better for him – and for her father – than her own mother had made life for her.

So, this lunch was just an opportunity for the two of them to connect. "I know that I can't be like a mother to you, and we're not sisters." Paige smiled. "So, how _do_ we define this relationship?"

Paige was cringing internally. _Define the relationship_? It was so un-Paige. But she really did appreciate the fact that Joanna had thought enough to have this talk with her. "I don't know," she responded. "Does it need definition? I think that we have a good relationship, don't you?"

"Oh, absolutely, Paige." Joanna reached out and squeezed Paige's hand. "This isn't a complaint by any means. It's just, the more that I get to know Nick, the more I realize how much he was injured by his first wife. And I can only imagine how much it must have hurt you when she left." Joanna saw Paige cringe, slightly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to dredge that up. And, I know that you don't need me to fix your past. I just don't want to be a part of the problem, do you know what I mean?"

Paige let out a deep breath. "I think so," she said. "And you're not. And you won't be. I'm really thrilled at how happy you're making my Dad, and I'm thrilled that you're committed to my little brother. That's all that I could ask." Joanna smiled and nodded her head. Paige remembered one more thing. "And, I can't tell you how much it means to me that you even thought to have this talk with me." She got up to hug her stepmother, adding, "You know us McCullerses. We hate these kinds of talks, but we always feel better afterwards!"

"Believe me, I know all about that!" Joanna smiled.

* * *

Nick gathered his grandchildren together and helped them get into their life vests. They were going out for a ride on the lake, just the four of them. No one else was allowed.

Emily was panicky. The kids all felt comfortable in the water. She and Paige took them to the pool at Villanova regularly, and they had taken summer swimming classes since they were toddlers. And they had their life jackets. It wasn't that the circumstances were unsafe. It was that she didn't have any control over it.

After watching Emily fidget in her seat, her brow furrowed with concern and her legs unable to keep still, Paige decided to take her out for a walk, to get her mind off of things. Besides, they didn't often have a chance to walk, and they always enjoyed the opportunity to explore together.

Almost always.

Paige was trying her best to distract Emily, but Emily just wouldn't let it go. She just had a _feeling_ that something was going to happen.

"What could happen, Em? You know that my father's responsible, right?"

"Paige…"

"And they've all got life jackets,"

"Paige…"

"and they all know how to swim!"

"Paige! Don't treat me like a child! I _know_ all of that, but I also know that things can happen!"

"Emily, this is just like when we're flying. You always tell me that we might as well enjoy ourselves, because there's nothing that we can do about it."

"There _is_ something that I can do about, it, Paige! I can go back there to the lake and make sure that my babies are okay!"

Paige opened her mouth to say something and then shook her head. "Fine, Emily. You want to go back and check on them? Fine. Go." Paige turned around and walked away, still talking. "I thought that we could just enjoy a nice walk, one of the few times that we have to ourselves."

Emily was frozen in place. "Paige!" she cried out desperately. Paige turned to look at her, obviously angry. Emily's emotions were already overloading. "I'm scared, okay?"

Paige let out a breath to calm herself down. She pulled out her phone and dialed. "Hi, Joanna! Yeah, it's nice out here. I was just wondering whether Nick and the kids had made it back yet. Still out there? You can see them from the window? Well, I'm glad that they're having fun. We won't rush back, then. Okay, we'll see you later."

Emily sniffed back some tears. "I'm sorry," she pleaded.

"Joanna's keeping an eye on them from the kitchen. She says that they seem to be having a ball."

Emily came up to Paige and put her hands on her waist. "Paige, I'm sorry." Paige just nodded. "Do you forgive me?" Paige looked away and nodded again. Emily hugged her, putting her head on her shoulder. Paige kept her hands at her sides. "I just got scared, Paige. It wasn't about your dad."

Paige was still looking off to the side. "What are you going to do when they go on field trips? Or when they have sleepovers? Or camp?" she asked, annoyed.

Emily tilted her head down and looked down at her fingers, which were fidgeting with the drawstring on the bottom of Paige's down vest. "I'm going to panic and fear the worst," she said honestly and vulnerably. Still not looking Paige in the eye, she timidly asked, "Are you going to be there with me to talk me down?"

Paige wrapped her arms around Emily and held her close, resting her chin atop Emily's head. "Yeah. Yes. Of course I am, Em." She kissed the top of Emily's head. "I'm sorry."

Emily tilted her head out from underneath Paige's and leaned in for a kiss, bringing her hands to the side of her wife's cheeks. It was a long kiss, followed by several more long kisses before they interlaced their fingers and continued on their walk to nowhere in particular.

* * *

A little ways into their walk, once Paige had fully calmed down, she began the conversation about her mother. They had talked about it before, mostly at Emily's suggestion, but Emily didn't want to push too hard. She knew that Paige had been - and was still being -injured by her mother.

Paige's talk with Joanna over lunch had started her thinking, though. Joanna was an innocent bystander in all of this, and yet she reached out for the benefit of Paige and Little Nick. Paige began to consider the fact that Shay, Mitchell, and Lindsey were innocent in all of this, too. They had a right to know that there was more to their family.

Emily assured Paige that she would support her completely, whatever she decided. "So, what do you want to do?" she asked.

"I'm not suggesting taking them to meet her, or anything like that. But I think that we should start talking about her, somehow, just to let the children know that there's another part of our family. I'm going to do my best not to prejudice them one way or another. If they ask what happened, I'll tell them the truth, and if they ask why she left, I'll tell them what she told me. And, if they decide that they want to meet her, I'll reach out to her, just as my Dad did for me."

"Do you think that we need to tell her that we have kids?"

Paige thought it over in silence for a long time. "I don't know. I really don't want to. I don't know." Emily nodded. "I should - _we_ should probably talk with my Dad about it, too."

Emily walked on a bit more in silence, holding Paige's hand and arm, before she asked, "Did you block her on facebook?" Paige shook her head. "I didn't either, so..."

"So, odds are, she's seen some pictures." Most of their albums were private, but anyone could see their profile pictures. "Well, good," Paige said after a moment of thought. "She knows." The discussion ended there.

* * *

When Nick and the kids got back from the lake, he grabbed the keys to the minivan off of the hook and took the grandchildren into town to pick up pizza. They returned about an hour later with each of the kids carrying a pizza box, and Nick carrying another four boxes. "I asked them what they wanted," he said apologetically, "and they just kept telling me!"

Emily went over to Mitchell, whose pizza box was dipping low. She tipped it up so that the sauce and toppings wouldn't slide off. Mitchell leaned in close and said, "Nay, your daddy is so cool!"

Emily laughed. "You know that Grandpa Nick is your Mommy's daddy, right?" Mitchell dipped his head and shrugged in embarrassment.

"That's okay, Champ," Paige said, tousling his hair. "You're right. My Dad _is_ so cool!" She winked at Nick, and he winked back.

* * *

Everyone was teary-eyed the next morning when the time came to load up the van for the trip home. Emily consoled the children with the assurance that they would see their grandparents and Little Nick again, soon, and that, the next time that they came out to the lake house, the water would be warm enough for swimming.

"No!" Mitchell and Lindsey protested as soon as she mentioned swimming in the lake.

"You don't want to go swimming?" Emily asked. Paige noticed her father trying hard not to laugh.

"All right, Grandpa Nick. What have you been telling these kids?" It was obvious that she wasn't going to get an answer out of him, so she looked to the twins. They responded in their particular way of telling stories together. Each knew when to stop and let the other pick up. It was like a four-handed piano piece being played on separate pianos.

"He told us to sit still in the boat,"  
"because we didn't want to wake up the Lake Nick Monster"  
"who sleeps on the bottom all winter"  
"and passes gas when you wake him"  
"and turns the water all stinky!"

Paige looked at Shay. "Mommy, I _told_ them that Grandpa Nick likes to tell stories, but they didn't believe me!"

* * *

Emily drove on the trip home. Paige turned sideways in her seat and kept the kids entertained. She led them in singalongs and amused them with "Tru Tales of Auntie Pru." "But, if you _really_ want to hear some amazing stories," she said when she started to get tired, "you should ask your Nanay to tell you about Auntie Hanna!"

"PLEASE!" came the chorus from the back seat.

"All right," Emily obliged. "Where should I begin? Well, there was this one time…"

Paige smiled, along with the kids, in anticipation of the story. She put her hand on Emily's thigh, and Emily took her right hand off of the steering wheel and put it on top of Paige's as she continued to tell the story. It had been a great week at the lake, and Paige had never been more in love with her wife and her family.

The smile that she got from Emily told her that, as was so often the case, Emily knew exactly what she was thinking and was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

Epilogue

Paige and Emily tiptoed past their children who were sleeping in front of the Christmas tree in Pam and Wayne's living room. _Tradition_.

It was Boxing Day. Their tenth anniversary. They were heading up to the lake house. Alone. _Tradition_.

Their parents and all the kids - and Mona, of course - would join them there later in the week.

Emily paused on her way out of the house to turn up the thermostat and pull the top of Mitchell's sleeping bag a little higher, so that he was more fully covered.

When they got to the van, they saw an envelope under the windshield wiper. Paige pulled it out and looked at it with furrowed eyebrows. "What is it?" Emily asked.

"It's from the kids," Paige said, handing the envelope over. On the front, "To Mommy and Nanay," and, underneath that, "Happy Anniversary!" were written in Shay's practiced cursive. The rest of the envelope was decorated with hearts that appeared to have been contributed by the twins. Emily got inside the van and opened the envelope as Paige tossed their duffel bag into the back seat.

The envelope contained a page from each of the children, each with a play on their mothers' names. It looked to be something that Shay had organized.

Shay's page contained an acrostic:  
 **..P** erfect for  
 **EA** ch other;  
 **MI** ghty against  
 **IG** norance;  
 **LE** arning;  
 **Y** oga-ing

Mitchell's page had their names in block form:  
 **PAIGE  
A**IGE **M**  
 **I** GEM **I  
G**EMI **L**  
EMILY

Lindsey's page had their names intersecting, with "P+E" in winged hearts flying around the rest of the page:  
 **... P  
... A  
EMILY**  
 **... G**  
 **... E**

Driving up to the lake in winter reminded Paige and Emily of the drive to the cabin in Lake Tahoe so many years ago, the first time that they were intimate. Their lives had changed in so many ways since then. Some of the things they could've predicted: marriage, children, life after swimming. Some of it they never saw coming: Mardi Gras in Australia, Nick's second shot at marriage and fatherhood, Paige's map.

The map was now faded and tattered, and Xs covered 30 states. 60%, as Paige would say. There was the trip to Chicago, after Fred and Gloria relocated there to be closer to family. "Retiring to the cold," Fred pointed out. Shay wanted to see Mount Rushmore, so they took a family vacation to South Dakota. When Paige went to conventions, the family often went with her. This allowed them to cross off Utah. She also took them along for the conventions in Orlando and Washington D.C. - places that were more exciting for the kids - but they didn't cross off any new states on those trips. Now that the children were older, they could look forward to more trips and more states.

Driving up to the lake, though, all that mattered was the two of them and the moment.

Somehow, it always felt like the first time. They were on the cusp of a new year and of new beginnings, and that always made _them_ feel new, too.

Emily looked over at Paige, who had her left hand in her lap and her right hand on top of the steering wheel. There was a smile on her face, but it wasn't the goofy grin that Emily often found there. Were Emily to describe this smile, she would call it, "Satisfied."

"What are you thinking, Love?" Emily finally asked. She had come across that line somewhere - an old song, probably - but she couldn't remember where. It was a line that Paige had gotten used to hearing. She enjoyed it as ritual; tradition.

Paige was still smiling as she looked over to respond. She didn't really know how to put what she was thinking in words. Continuity? Stability? Security? With a tilt of her head, she finally came up with a word. "Tradition."

Emily rested her head on Paige's shoulder. It was winter, the day was dawning around them, and they were driving towards the water. Tradition.


End file.
